17o 



14 LOTIFLOKI. 



Puds eitlier ^ulcaLe dorsiilly or partly 2-(>elled by the iutrusi -n 

 of the dorsal suiure, s[)litting througji the ventral «ULure as in ihe 

 Alpiui but )ioi wholly Lhrough the dorsul, coriaceous to cartiiajii- 

 nous when dr), .- M) nun. loug, mostly ascending, soniewha'. «>()- 

 lique or a little ;ireuaie, with reiiiform, triquetrous, or quadran- 

 gular cro-is-decLiou, inflated only in lotiflorus, sessile and. rounded 

 at base, tip tri>.n^u]ar and acute (apiculate in A. circuindatus), 

 Flow«')'s on mm. I'>ug, mostly wii.te or light-colored, rather f.-w, 

 m ijeads oj' vury siiort-spicate, short-cUwed, with shi)rt p. taU. 

 Calyx caujpanulate, with tube 2-4 rjim long. Bracu mostly short, 

 Stipules not contuvtc, i^ubulate to fi.uisiular or deltoid. Slemu-r 

 caulescent pereuniaiB from rather Avoody roots, mostly low plauta. 



KEY 



A, Pods oval to oblong, little oblique, not inflated, about 1.5 cm. 

 long, straight, very fleshy (the pulp 2-3 mm. thick when fresh and the 

 crosg-section then about round, but inclined to quadrangular when 

 dry), apiculate or very short-pointed, splitting the calyx, setsile when 

 fresh, about stroig;ht, with the ventral suture raised and thick. Calyx 

 teeth triangular, tube 2-3 mm. lon^. Pubescence very thort and close- 

 ly appresssd, white, composed of fine hairs. Bracts very small, del- 

 toid to trianguL-;r, rather thick and hairy. The stems are somewhat 

 Intricately bran;aed and depressed. 



AB. Pubescence attached by the base. Fruit on rather slender ped- 

 icels which are at least as long as the deltoid bracts. Calyx teeth tri- 

 angular and about as long as tube. Tropical. Circumdati. 

 Pods nearly smooth. Flowers nearly white. 



Whole plant almost smooth. 132 circumdatu!. 



Pods ashy. Flowers deep-purple-tipped. 



Whole plant silvery-pubescent. 133 Mohavensis. 



A2B. Hairs attached near the middle. Pods nearly sessile. Ca- 



ly teeth muc;i shorter than the tube. Ventral suture of pods the 



more convex. Not Tropical. Accumbentes 134 accumbans. 



TA. Pods oblonc -lanceolate, acuminate, inflated, 1-clled. but dorsal 



LUture sometimes a little thickened within, 2-3 cm. long, nearly 1 cm. 



-igh and wide, coriaceous, only a little fleshy when green. Leaflets 



narrow. Flowers c?-pitate, white or nearly so. Calyx lobes arc aed 



I nd as long as the tube. Pubescence of hairs attacnei near the mid- 



cle. Not Tropical. Lotiflori. 135 lotiflorus 



132. Astrc.galus circumdatus (Jreene Pitt. 1. 17;{ (ISSS). ro(l> oviil- 

 1 blons, few, about round in cross section when fresh, decidedly fleshy 

 . nd puly" faiutly corruyaled when dry, nearly ticuie at haa.', 1 :^-l.S 

 ra. long, about 7 mm. high, 5 mm wide, straight, a little narrowt d he- 

 ow, erect, or spreading, green and barely pubescent when ripe, hoary 

 > hen you ig with very short and appressed hairs, dorsal sjiure neither 

 r lised nor thick but a little convex; tip triangular and placed in tlu- 

 i:dddle of the end. Flowers 5-12 indifferently spreading, white, 7 nun. 

 l.»ng, short and stubby. Banner oval, white, very wide below, abruptly 



