•Mi 



obconipressed and sulcate at both sutures so that the cross-section is 

 i.c:irly linear, mostly bisulcate to very base along the ventral suture 

 toward the base but not at all at the triquetrous tip which is ensiforni 

 and arcuate or strongly incurved, pods from nearly straight to arched 

 mlo nearly a half circle, a little narrowed below in the narrow forms 

 and notched at the ends at the very weak attachment, almost sessile, 

 from nearly coriaceous to almost papery (the walls a little fleshy and 

 woody when fresh) and finely cross-lined or varying to strongly 

 ribbed, green or mottled, filled with pulp, closely reflexed, with vent- 

 ral suture raised and thick, and the dorsal suture a mere line exter- 

 nally and double with age and thickened within and raised as a mere 

 line. Flowers about 1.5 cm. long, straight, mostly narrow, few to 

 many, brilliant-pink-purple at tips when fresh. Banner ovate, about 

 7 mm. long, abruptly arched at end of calyx tube to 45-80 degrees, 

 'vuh sides reflexed to the midrib 2 mm. wide below and so appe;iring 

 firldle-shaped, white or cream-colored, with white spot ol)cordate 

 and purple-veined and coming within 2 mm. of tip, with the groo\ c 

 about V-shaped to semicircular and nearly 4 mm. wide at tip. Wings 

 linear, very oblique, arched to 30-45 degrees, about 2 mm. wide, acut- 

 ish. a little longer than keel, purple above. Keel about 2 mm. shorter 

 than banner, arched from base to the erect tip, about 3 mm. wide 

 il-roughout, the tip obtuse but not rounded, deltoid, dark-purple. Cn- 

 ;>.< cylindrical, about 7 mm. long or Ic^s, straight, attached on ibe 

 lower corner but with straight sides, about 3 mm. high, reddish, with 

 fine, white, crinkled, short hairs closely appressed: tube fleshy at the 

 insertion, not cleft deeper above, the triangular teeth about a thirr! to 

 iu ly as long as the tube and capillary. Bracts broadly ovate and hy- 

 aune, about 2-3 mm. long, rigid and as long as the pedicels. Pedun- 

 cles subscapose, stout, 5-7 cm. long. Leaves not over 3 cm. long, with 

 slender petioles twice as long as the leaf-rachis. Leaflets 4-6 pairs, 

 elliptical to obovate, obtuse, not over 1 cm. long, rather thick, folded 

 and variably silvery on both sides with loosely appressed hairs Stip- 

 ules large, imbricated, shaggy, round to oval, rarely ovate, hyaline, 4-5 

 mm. long, very conspicuous, acute. Stems very short and with con- 

 gested internodes, only a few inches long at most, rigid, inclined to be 

 woody, prostrate or spreading, many and caespitose from the crown 

 of the erect and woody root, grow ing in rocky places, preferably crev- 

 ices, often along with A. pubentissimus which at times is very similar 

 but without the large stipules and congested internodes. It some- 

 times blooms as a winter annual. Common throughout the San Ra- 

 fael Swell, and growing from Green River to Grand Junction and 

 southward to the Moencoppa .Arizona where it grows with A. sabulo- 

 num and is distinguished from it by the caespitose habit and stipules. 

 Lower Temperate life zone. 



Astragalus desperatus var. petrophilus n. var. Pods rigid, decid- 

 edly inflated, rarely 1 cm. long, half-oval to obliquely obovate, 4-5 

 mm. high, with ovate to cordate cross-section, generally a little sul- 

 cate dorsally near the base, and sometimes also ventrallj' there but 

 the ventral suture mustly a straight, thick and raised line, and the dor- 

 sal suture a raised and thin partial partial partition within, tip of pod 

 very sharp, upturned, deltoid, with a sharj) and subulate beak, surface 

 of pods so shaggy as to conceal the skin, sometimes crose-ribbed.. the 

 pubescence falls off long after maturity, pods indifferently spreading. 

 1-3 on the ends of the filiform peduncles which are 1-10 cm. long, and 

 rarely as long as the leaves. P'lowers 5-7 mm. long, from stubby to 

 narrow, 1-5 on the ends of the peduncles, not reflexed. Calyx teeth 

 from, rudimentary to triangular and 1 mm. long. Leaves very much 

 reduced and short. Leaflets 2-3 pairs, thickish, ashy, 3-4 mm. long, 

 elliptical, folded, obtuse. Petioles about as long as the leaf-rachis. 

 .Stems form an oblong mass of imbricated stipules, rarely 1 cm. long, 

 many on the crown of the erect root, the mat 4-6 inches wide. Very 

 variable. This is toe most condensed form and the smallest mats re- 



