236 



SARCOCARPI. 22. 



Pods wholly :2-celled, very fleshy, with thick walls which 

 never become less than coriaceous when dry, opening but little at 

 maturity, mostly plum-like, lanceolate in A. Tennesseensis, ol)- 

 late to round in cross- section, cordate or notched at ba8e, rarely 

 at all inflated, not stipitate, splitting the calyx, mostly sulcate at' 

 both sutures, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, weakly attached to the calyx, with 

 ventral suture straight, rarely convex, or concave, the dorsal the; 

 more arched. Flowers in heads or short spikes, never small nor 

 reflexid, on peduncles shorter than the upper leaves, and on pedi- 

 cels shorter than the large bracts, 1.5-2 cm. long, light-colorctl. 

 Calyx cylindrical, 6-8 mm. long, obliquely attached by the fleshy 

 base, straight, hairy, with teeth much shorter than the tube. 

 Leaves larger above, the lowest ones quite small, narrow, wiili 

 many leaflets wl'ich are never linear but are nearly contiguous, 

 mostly flat, jointed to rachis and petiolulate. Stipules large and 

 broad, hyaline and thin, adnate, not raflexed, not connate. The 

 bracts lanceolate and acuminate, fetems prostrate to ascending', 

 slender or with short internodes, never acaulescent though tlit! 

 iiitcriiodes are often shorter than the stipules, from a thick and 

 often woody root, in tufts. Pubescence attached by the ba.-i-. 

 Growing in sweet soil, never in saline places. This group is ii.i' 

 nearest related to the Argophylliand Malaci. It is possible that 

 A. Parryi may belong here, it has a superficial resemblance to A. 

 Tennesseensis. but the pods are thin and nearly 1-celled, and t..o 

 flowers and general habit are diff' rent. 



KEY 



A. Pods Emooth, very fleshy, plum-shaped, very abruptly shor*-- 

 beaked. edible, with the fleshy walls 4-6 mm. thick, reflexed or widel ' 

 spreading, lying flat on the ground, with the cavity somewhat largp • 

 than the seeds, sutures raised and thick when dry. Stems 1-2 ft. hi: ^^ 

 Calyx very sliort-liairy, tli)\\er.s not ochroleurous. 196 crrissicnrpiis. 



Calyx \\<>olIy. flcwcrs ochroleucous. 197 Mexicani.s. 



2 A. Pods decidedly pubescent, ovate to lanceolate, rather obliq > 

 acuminate or with a long and stout beak, somewhat fleshy but well: 

 rarely 2 mm. thick, sutures not evident externally. Flowers whit«. 

 Pods short-pubescent, about ovate, finely cross-lined, abruptly stout-beaked. 



198 Plattensis. 

 Pods sparsely long- pubescent, acuminate-lanceolate, coarsely reticulated. 



196 Tenneessens'.s. 



196 Astragalus crassicarpus Xutt. in lM-aser\s Cat. 1 (1814). Pods 

 nearly globose, a little obconipressed when fresh and appearnig lat- 

 erally flattened in most herbarium specimiCns and greatly and coarse- 

 ly wrin];lcd for the most part, about 2.5 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, 

 sulcate at both sutures when fresh and appearing laterally flattened 



