181 



oblique at base and fleshy, rather unequally inserted, nigresce)it. 

 Peduncles 1-2 dm. long, longer than the leaves, erect in fruit, often 

 decumbent in flower. Leaves 5-8 cm. long, numerous at the crowu, 

 narrow, with petiole half to a third the whole. Leaflets 3-6 pairs, 

 broadly linear to elliptical, or even some oval-obtuse, thick, most of 

 them narrow, 3-10 mm. long. Stems with 2-3 slender internodes 2-5 

 cm. long, flexuous, prostrate, at length nearly erect, rather caespltose 

 and tufted from a woody root. Often 2-3 dm. long. From Reno to Pal- 

 isade and possibly Hawthorne, Nevada and vicinity to the Blue Mts. 

 Oregon, growing in sagebrush and among Atrlplex confertifolia on 

 plains and slopes. Middle and upper part of the Lower Temperate 

 life zone, blooming ui late spring. Reported probably erroaeoufcly 

 from Pnnaca, Nevada. The relationship of thi.s specie^ to A. ati''ntiiii 

 is \ery close in some forms and thej' nearly always grow together or 

 near b.v. 



138. Astrngalus atratue Watson Bot. King 69 t. 11 (1871), Haroo»a 

 Rydberg. A. atratus var. stenophyllus .Tones, var. arctus Sheldon. Pods 

 from base to tipiii.ire narrowctl n{ hiise and distinctly stipitate in the 

 calyx pendent at the end of an ascending or slightly reflex:ed pedicel, 

 2-2.5 cm. long, rarely 3 mm. high or wide, chartaceous, sulcate dorsally 

 shortly acuidnate, linear, about as in A. ohscurus and septum as vari- 

 able. Flowers whitish or dull-purple, about as in A. obscurus. but ban- 

 ner notch.ed. about 1 cm. long, oval, arched abruptly to 60°-90° at calyx 

 tips. Wings 2-lobed iu the type, narrowly oblong, arched, longer than 

 the keel. Keel strongly arched from the base, about 3 mm. long, the 

 tip erect and tasMTine-ncute jind little produced. Calyx long-cam- 

 panulate, nigrestent, rather hyaline, narrowed below, about 3 mm. long, 

 2 mm. high, not gibbous, reflexed or sjireading, thrice as long as the sub- 

 ulate to triangular teeth. Fruiting pedicels 4-G mm. long, very slender, 

 often twi.S'ted very much longer than bracts. Racemes elongated, 5-10 

 flowered. Peduncles often a foot long and the rachis as much more, 

 tapering tind strict. Leaves rarely 1 dm. long, with 3-7 pairs of (in 

 the type) nearly flliform acute leaflets scattered or even absent on the 

 upper leaves, 2-15 mm. long. Pubescence ashy and minute. Stems 

 very slender, with one to few slender internodes. rather many and 

 tufted from the woody base, decumbent. This is the common form grow- 

 ing in the open. From Palisade, Nevada to Reno and probably south- 

 ward to Death Valley, northward to the Snake river from Glenn's 

 Ferry westward but not in the lower Columbia Basin proper. Grow- 

 ing in the sagebrush in gravelly soil in valleys and low slopes. Lower 

 Temperate life zone. Blooms in May. The plants reported from 

 Pine Valley, Mts. Utah by Parry are A. stratureusis. The species as 

 described and riu;ur( d by WalS'Ui 'n Kiiu'-"^- }l"T>in m mislcjidimr , The 

 basis of the type is the material from the Toyabe and Pah Ute Mts. 

 Nevada, but the figure represents what the artist thought the species 

 was and not what it was, no sucli leaves are found on any specimens?, 

 and are an invention of the artist to repr-^sout what he thought the 

 plant would be when fresh. This causod ilu> writer to err in describ- 

 ing the var. stenophyllus as he took the figure to represent the species. 

 Nelson's plant is tlie most slender and r.-inuiio-e kti.':. Tho lot fng of 

 wings is v<>ry varir.ble. 



Astrzgaius atratus var. phyllophoVus Jones Cont. 10 62 (1002). 

 This is ttie normal well developvd form of the species gi>3v.-ing in moist 

 .soil. Pods abruptly acute and apiculate, about 3 mm. wide, inclined to 

 be a little wi ler above, nearly round in cross section, appearing a 

 trifle inflated. Wings about twice as long as keel and much wid^^r 

 above and rather deeply lobed. as long as banner. Flowers fully 1 cm. 

 loqg. Keel tip Incurved 100° aiul tip deltoid, (^alyx 4 mm. long, barely 

 gibbous, narrowed below, teeth broadly trinngidiir, iibout one-tiUMrtev 

 i'.s long as tube. Pe<licels 4 mm. long, three-fourths times the bracts. 

 Pedtmcles rarely over 1 dm. long. Leaves 2-7 cr.i, .oag. LvailoLo ro- 



