205 



semble, closely, A. mont.inus and A. humillimns. It grows in crevices 

 of flat rocks, in the San Rafael Swell region Utah, and blooms in May 

 and June, and fruits soon after (as does the species). 



165 Astragalus tephrodes Gray PI. Wr. 2 45 (1853). Pods about 

 half-oval-ovate, nearly half as high or wide as long, about 1 cm. long, 

 ashy, normally ascending in short spikes, a little arcuate toward tip, 

 sessile at the rounded base, weakly attached, rather finely cross ribbed 

 and inclined to be sulcate below at both sutures and obcompressed at 

 very base, cross-section obcordate to slightly didymous, both sutures 

 thickened externally. In the type, whieli is based on two small speci- 

 mens ii; fruit only, the pod is half-moon shaped, with straight ventral 

 suture, sulcate dorsa II}- and with flat and deltoid tip, hoary with mi- 

 nute hairs. Other material from Socorro has pods from obliquely 

 ovate to arcuate-lance-oblong, with triangular and flat tip about twice 

 as long as wide and inclined to be sulcate at both sutures but with sim- 

 ilar beak. Walls very fleshy when fresh but thin when dry. My own 

 specimens from the Needles Cal. have pods more acute. Tlie flowers 

 in the type are described as about 1 cm, long and purple. In tlie So- 

 corro material and my own the flowers are 1-1.5 cm. long and purple 

 tipped, lik'e A. remulcus but shorter and smaller. They have the. same 

 short-cylindric calyx tube appearing campanulate in fruit, with teeth 

 triangular and nearly half as long as tube. The calyx can hardly be 

 called wool!}' though the appressed hairs are somewhat tangled. Pe- 

 duncles about 1 dm. long, having the rather many flowers spicate. The 

 biacts and pedicels are the same as in remulcus. Leaflets 7-10 pairs, 

 elliptical to oval, obtusish, contiguous or separated, about 1 cm. long, 

 loosely silky with somewhat tangled long hairs. Leaves about 1 dm. 

 long, with petioles shorter than the rachis. Stems slender and decum- 

 bent or prostrate and with few nodes, as in remulcus, arising from slen- 

 der underground root branches. It was described as a possible bien- 

 nial. From the western base of the Organ Mts. New Mexico to the 

 Needles Cal. Tropical, on benches. It seems to be rare. This species 

 has some resemblance to A. Feensis. 



165 Astragalus Shortianus Nutt. in T. & G. Fl. N. A. 1 331 (1838). 

 A. humili': Geyer. Pods from lanceolate to linear-oblong (even ovate 

 in the variety), corrugated. -cellular when dry, rounded at base, joint- 

 ed to the calyx, inclined to be sulcate at both sutures below, acumin- 

 ate, 2-7 cm. long, 10-15 mm. wide, rarely over 5 mm. high, somewhat 

 arcuate especially toward the mostly flat and ensiform triangular tip, 

 broadly sulcate dorsally and mostly bisulcate ventrally, much obcom- 

 pressed when mature, often round in cross-section when fresh, mi- 

 nutely pubescent, not mottled, ascending, with ventral suture thicken- 

 ed and raised externally, and the dorsal suture not intruded, outer coat 

 showing little tendency to separate from the inner, walls 4-5 mm. 

 thick when fresh, the inner cartilaginous when dry. Flowers about 

 2-2.5 cm. long, crowded at end of peduncle, brilliant purple, with long 

 claws. Banner about oval, 1 cm. long, arched to 45 degrees in gentle 

 arc from end of calyx tube, rarely erect, with sides much reflexed in 

 age below, about 2-4 mm. longer than wings. Wings obliquely linear- 

 cuneate, rounded, about 2 mm. wide, much narrower than keel, 2-3 mm 

 shorter than keel, arched lit^^le, with tips inclined to be horizontal as 

 in A. Utahensis. Keel straight to near the tip and then abruptly roun- 

 ded to erect at the obtusely triangular tip which is about 4 mm. high. 

 Calyx tube cylindrical, 7-8 mm. long and 3 mm. high, nigrescent with 

 rather shaggy hairs, straight, not deeper cleft above, teeth subulate 

 and nearly half as long as tube. Bracts subulate, nearly 1 cm. long. 

 Pedicels slender, 3-5 mm. long. Peduncles in flower rarely 2 dm. long 

 but somewhat longer in fruit, subscapiform, sulcate, stout, 3-12 flow- 

 ered. Leaves often 1.5 dm, long, the petiole half the whole. Leaflets 

 7-14 pairs, 7-23 mm. long, from nearly oval to broadly elliptical, in- 

 clined to have cuneate base and be long-pctiolulate, flat, rounded and 

 obtuse, nearly contiguous, variably pubescent with hairs normally 

 very fine and long and inclined to be tangled on the calyx and looser, 

 but hairs rarely short and broader. Internodes rarely as long as the 



