Preussii. 163 



KEY 



A. Pods conspicuously inflated, not fleshy, coriaceous, nearly erects 



abruptly stipitate, opening nearly to the base along both sutures, 



but a little more freely along the ventral. Flowers ascending. 



Peduncles axillary. Plants smooth throughout except the calyx. 



AB. Leaflets several pairs. Flowers purple. Dorsal suture of pod 



not noticeably produced within. Preussii Proper. 



Pods with stipe not longer than calyx. log Preussii. 



Pods with stipe 2 cm. long. IIO ampullarius. 



Pods sessile. Ill limatus 



A2B. Leaves represented by a single sessile leaflet which is 



jointed to the stem, and cordate-oval-ovate, 2-6 cm. wide and 



3-7 cm. long. Pods conical-ovate, long-stipitate, capitate on 



peduncles shorter than the leaflet. 



Leaflet one, large. II2 asclepiadoides. 



2A. Pods somewhat but not conspicuously inflated, cartilaginous, 

 filled with pulp when green, straight or only a little oblique, the 

 ventral suture about straight, both sutures thicl<ened and some- 

 what intruded. Walls at least 2 mm. thick and fleshy when 

 fresh. Flowers pearl-white, with snake-like or cabbage-like odor, 

 reflexed, many, fully 2 cm. long, spicate. Wings narrow. Keel 

 purple-tipped. Calyx mostly nearly as high as long, short-cylin- 

 dric, truncate at base and attached on lower corner. Coarse and 

 tufted plants 1-3 ft. high. Leaflets several pairs and large, 

 leathery and flat. Patterson!. 



Leaflets linear-lanceolate. Stems i-2 ft. high. 113 Pattersoni. 



Leaflets mostly diamond-shaped. Stems low. 1 14 sabulosus. 



109. Astragalus Preussii Gray Proc. Am. Acad. 6 222 (1864). Pods 

 1.5-2 cm loi);^, I'rom ova] and nearly 1 cm. long, wide and high, to 

 uarrov/ly oblong and 5 mm. high and wide, scarcely to much laterally 

 flattened, when narrow then narrowed below, when large the pods are 

 shortly flat-apiculate, when narrow the pods are triangular-acuminate, 

 dorsal suture sometimes a trifle sulcate and produced as a narrow 

 and very thin edge. Stipe of pod varies from a very thick stalk, hardly 

 as long as wide, to slender and as longi as the calyx. The texture of 

 the pod almost chartaceous to thicJc-coriaceous. Both sutures rather 

 thick and raised externally but the ventral suture not produced within. 

 The pods are straight or a little arched in the narrow forms and erect 

 ma horizontal stipe. The tip of pod is either declined or ascending. 

 Flowers pink-purple-tipped, about 2 cm. long, rarely 1.5 cm. long and 

 p-^'ailer, few, and racemose. The banner varies from a little longer than 

 keel to 4-G mm. longer, it is abruptly arched at end of calyx to 30" 

 and then straight to tip, with sides thin and much reflexed in the 

 middle giving it a triangular outline, with white spot beautifully striped 

 or stipuled. Wings a little longer than keel, obliquely oblanceolate, 

 with triangular and obtuse tip and ascending about 45 degrees much 

 as in A. amphioxys. Calyx tube nearly 1 cm. long and 4 mm. wide, 

 with deltoid and fleshy base, about equally inserted, cleft much deeper 

 above. Calyx teeth deltoid and about one-fourth as long as tube in 

 the type. Peduncles 1-1.5 dm. long and about as long as leaves, the 

 floral rachis nearly as long as the peduncle and few-flowered. Leaf- 

 lets 5-7 pairs and, in tne type, obcordate to oval-obovate and notched 

 and rarely 1 cm. long, rather glaucous. Stems a foot or two high, 

 flexuous, ascending, single or few from an erect root, gro'vsing In 

 clay or poor sandy soil on benches near rocks. The var. laxiflorus Gray 

 Proc. Am. Acad. 13 369 (1878) (var. laxispicatus Sheldon) hardly de- 

 serves varietal rank. It has subulate calyx lobes 2-3 mm. long. The 



