Sarcocarpi. 238 



beinjr about straio:ht and the florsal very convex, the conical and 

 stout beak about 4 mm. long- and a prolongation of the ventral su- 

 ture and in line with it, evidently inflated a little, walls thinner than 

 in any of the allied species, coriaceous, less than 1 mm. thick when 

 fresh and very thin when dry but rigid and a little corrugated, base 

 cordate. Surface covered with vei'y many fine and parallel ci'oss 

 lines close together. Flowers white, in a head, several, about 1.5 

 cm. long. Banner ovate, with sides reflexed to the tip and seeming 

 triangulaz", notched a little, arched gently to 4.5-90' from end of 

 calyx tube, about 2-4 mm. longer than keel. Wings nearly linear, 

 a little arched, about 2 mm. wide, rounded at tip and about 1-2 mm. 

 longer than keel. Keel with tip arched in a quarter circle to the 

 very obtuse and rounded tip, the base straight, purple tipped, 3 mm. 

 high. Calyx tube oblong, 5 mm. long, nigrescent, the triangular 

 teeth about half as long as tube. Bracts about twice the pedicels 

 which are short in flower and about 4 mm. long in fruit. Pe- 

 duncles about half as long as leaves. Leaves about 1 dm. long, with 

 very short petiole, of 8-14 pairs of elliptical to oblong-obovate 

 leaflets 5-8 mm. long. Stems slender, weakly ascending to pros- 

 trate, rarely 2 dm. long. Stipules about as long as the adjoining- 

 leaflets. Pubescence shaggy all over except on the more sparsely 

 hairy calyx. On the plains from Texas to western Nebraska and 

 Wild Co., Colorado, and eastward to Indiana and Alabama. Lower 

 Temperate life zone. 



199. Astragalus Tennesseensis Gray in Chapman's Fl. 98 

 (1860). A. Pl.-ittensis var. Tennesseensis Gray. Pods lanceolate to 

 oblong, acuminate, a little arcuate, the tip forming a flat or round 

 upcui-ved prow, inclined to be obcompressed and sulcate at both 

 sutures, very fleshy, but when dry forming a soft and spongy pa- 

 pery tissue about 2 mm. thick, much wrinkled, 2-3 cm. 1 long, 7-8 

 mm. wide, 3-4 mm. high, nearly round in cross section, very sparsely 

 long-hairy, neither suture raised, base usually obtuse to notched. 

 Surface of pod very coarsely corrugated with raised lines and large 

 meshes. Flowers 1.5-2 cm. long, white. Banner gently arched to 

 45 \ ovate, sides reflexed most below, 7-8 mm. long. Wings narrowly 

 oblong, a little arched, narrowed toward tip, 2-3 mm. wide, 2 mm. 

 longer than keel. Keel straight, about 5 mm. long, tip abruptly 

 arched to erect and very obtuse, about 3 mm. high. Calyx about 3 

 mm. high, the triangular teeth not 2 mm. long. Bracts ovate, 5-7 

 mm. long. Pedicels very short. Peduncles shorter than the leaves, 

 except the lower ones. Leaves about 1 dm. long. Leaflets ellipti- 

 cal, 12-15 pairs, long-petiolulate, separated by about their own width. 

 Stipules very large, 1-1.5 cm. long. Pubescence long and softly vil- 

 lous except on the upper sides of the leaflets and the stipules. Lower 

 Teinperate life zone from southeastern Iowa to Tennessee and Ala- 

 bama and Missouri. This connects the Sarcocarpi with the Ai'go- 

 phylli and Malaci through A. Parryi. 



