Alpini. 133 



convex, pendent; dorsal suture intruded as a thin and narrow hya- 

 line band; not explanate along the ventral suture throughout, scarce- 

 ly at all splitting along the dorsal. Flowers in the type deep-purple, 

 with light claws, 7-9 mm. long, narrow. In dense racemes 2-5 cm. 

 long. Banner oval, about 4-5 mm. long, with sides a little reflexed 

 throughout, arched abruptly at end of tube to 45 degrees, 1-2 mm. 

 longer than wings, with white spot very strongly purple-veined. 

 Wings lanceolate, hardly 1 mm. wide, arched to 45 degrees, about 1 

 mm. longer than keel. Keel with straight base, about 3 mm. long, 

 1-5 mm. high, and abruptly rounded to about 110 degrees and with 

 the deltoid tip about 2 mm. high. Caylx tube about 3 mm. long 

 and 1.5 mm. high, narrowed below and acutish at the base and in- 

 serted near the lower corner, very oblique at tip and much deeper 

 cleft above, nigrescent, the lax and subulate teeth unequal and nearly 

 as long as tube. Bracts subulate to triangular, 4-5 mm. long, longer 

 than the flowering pedicels. Arctic plants have the papery bracts 

 subulate, southern plants have triangular bracts hairy and stiffen 

 Stipules green, nearly deltoid, about 5 mm. long, the lower very 

 broad and rounded, often overlapping their edges but almost never 

 truly connate. Proper peduncles about 1 dm. Icng and longer than the 

 leaves . Leaves all shortly petioled in the type, nearly 1 dm. long, 

 rarely 3.5 cm. wide. Leaflets narrowly elliptical to broadly linear, 

 1.5-3.5 cm. long, ashy, mostly notched, rather distant. Stems 1-2 ft. 

 high, nearly erect, the internodes about as long as the leaves, from 

 rather much branched woody roots. From the plains of Alberta to 

 Ladrabor and northward in the mountains to Alaska and the Arctic, 

 in moist woods and meadows. Middle and Upper Temperate life 

 zone blooming in July and August. This differs from A. oroboides 

 of Europe in the narrow not oblong-ovate leaflets. 



Astragalus elegans var. curtiflorus Rydberg Fl. Mont. 242 (1900). 

 Pods and flowers In long racemes on elongated peduncles. Flowers 

 hardly 8 mm. long, often lighter colored. Bracts about 2 mm. long. 

 TTpper leaves sessile. Stems and peduncles sulcate. This is the 

 common form from Leadville Colorado to the British line in the 

 mountains, not in the Great Basin but on the Pacific slope in Deer 

 Lodge valley Montana, Upper Temperate life zone, also along cold 

 streams in the Middle Temperate, in moist places in meadows and 

 open woods. 



86. Astragalus Labradoricus DC. Prod. 2 287 (1825). A. secun- 

 dus Mx., A. Blakei Eggleston, A. Robbinsii var Jesupi Sheldon, A. ma- 

 counii Rydberg. Pods 1-2 cm. long, 4-5 mm. wide or high, only slightly 

 sulcate. shortly acuminate at both ends, in the young state quite nar- 

 row and inclined to be obcompressed but with age often laterally flat- 

 tened, somewhat Inflated, with dorsal suture a little produced. Stipe 

 about as long as caylx. FHowers spicate, about 1 cm. long 1015, about 

 half of them maturing and the fruit racemose. Banner oval, about 7 mm. 

 long, 2 mm. longer than wings, arched gently to 45 degrees about 2 mm. 

 beyond calyx tips, with sides reflexed 2 mm. wide and most above 

 and with claws included. Wings 2 mm. longer than keel, nearly 

 linear, about 1 mm. wide, a little arched, much narrower than keel 

 and exposing its base. Keel small, straight, about 3 mm. long, with 

 tip rounded, obtuse, and as wide as high. Calyx about 3 mm. long, 

 a little narrowed below, slightly oblique at tip. Teeth triangular, 

 about 1 mm. long. Pedicels slender, horizontal in flower, longer than 

 the bracts, 2 mm. long in flower and 4 mm. long in fruit. Bracts 

 conspicuous, hyaline, lanceolate. Peduncles 1.5-3 dm. long, in the up- 

 per axils, racemes 4-12 cm. long. Leaves 4-7 cm. long, widely spread- 

 ing, the upper sessile. Leaflets elliptical to oval, 1-3 cm. long, obtuse 

 to notched, somewhat pubescent, about 5-6 pairs, not contiguous, 

 shortly cuneate at base, fully 7 mm. wide, thin. Stipules triangular- 

 lanceolate, 4-7 mm. long, mostly rather small for the plant but varia- 



