Leptocarpi 268 



as lono: as tube. Bracts rather longer than the pedicels which are 

 about 2 mm. long in fruit. Peduncles 2-3 cm. long and spreading. 

 Leaves 4-7 cm. long, nearly sessile, spreading. Leaflets G-8 pairs, 

 nariowly-oblong-cuneatc, contiguous, rarely 1 cm. long, ashy with 

 minute pubescence. Stipules scarious, the upper green, broad at 

 base, subulate. Stems many, relatively rather stout, diffuse, much 

 branched. Plains of western Texas to Monterey, Mexico. 



236. Astragalus Icptocarpus T. & G. Fl. 1 354 (1838). Hamosa 

 P.ydberg. Hamosa macilenta Small. Pods rather obcompressed 2- 

 celled except at tip, indifferently spreading but mostly ascending, 

 about 2 mm. high and 2-3 mm. wide, 2-3 cm. long, nearly straight, 

 shallow-sulcate dorsally, smooth, narrowly linear, triangular-acute 

 and point in line with ventral suture. Flowex's 3-7, closely clus- 

 tered in flower, a little racemose in fruit, about 1 cm. long, purplish. 

 Banner broadly obovate, with narrow furrow down the back, about 

 6 mm. long, arched abruptly at calyx tips to nearly erect. Wings 

 obovate to oblanceolate. arched, about 2 mm. shorter than banner 

 and 1 mm. longer than keel. Keel about 4 mm. long and high, the 

 base straight and then abruptly erect and tip acutish and out-turned 

 a little. Calyx tube campanulate, equally inserted, rather oblique 

 at tip, about 2 mm. long, sometimes somewhat nigrescent, teeth tri- 

 angular, mostly a little shorter than tube, not longer. Bracts 

 2 mm. long, about as long as fruiting pedicels. Peduncles 3-10 

 cm. long. Leaves 3-7 cm. long, short-petioled. Leaflets hardly 

 contiguous, 4-10 mm. long, 2-4 mm. wide, cuneate-obovate to nar- 

 rowly oblong, 5-10 pairs. Stipules about 4 mm. long, thin, subulate. 

 iStems'deliciiie and widely branched below, flexuous, with internodes 

 2-5 cm. long. This appears to hybridize with A. Nuttallianus. 

 Nearly througliout Texas and southward to Central Mexico. Tropical. 



237. Astragalus tener Gray Proc. Am. Acad. 6 206 (1864). 

 A. hypoglottis var. strigosus Kellogg. Pods nigrescent when young, 

 neai-ly straight in the type, rigid, 1-2 cm. long, about 3 mm. wide 

 and high, nearly smooth when ripe, short-pointed, broadly sulcate 

 dorsally, inclined to be bisulcate above along the ventral suture, 

 round to obcompressed in cross section. Flowers 4-9, purple- 

 tipped, 5-7 mm., long. Banner oblong, 3-4 mm. long, abruptly 

 arched at calyx tips to erect, with sides reflexed, about twice as long- 

 as keel, and 1-2 mm. longer than wings. Wings broadly linear, 

 rather arched, about 1 mm. wide. Keel narrow but arched from near 

 the base to over a half circle, about 1 mm. wide, the deltoid tip 

 about 1.5 mm. high. Calyx tube from turbinate to campanulate, 

 acute at base, about 1 mm. long, the triangular teeth as long as 

 tube to a half shorter. Bracts white, rather ovate, about 1 mm. 

 long. Pedicels almost none. Peduncles spreading, 3-4 cm. long, 

 shox-ter than leaves. Leaves 3-5 cm. long when mature, the lower 

 ones about half petiole, numerous. Leaflets 4-7 pairs, linear to 

 cuneate-linear, notched in the type. Stipules small, triangular, 

 scarious. Stems neai'ly filiform, a foot or less high. Pubescence 

 sparse and minute. In valleys from the Sacramento valley to San 

 Diego, blooming in April or soon after rains. A very variable 

 species. , 



Astragalus tener var. Brucae, n. var. Pods falcate, about 2 cm. 

 long and 4 mm. high, rather papeiy, broadly linear, triangular 

 pointed, conspicuously flattened latei-ally, shortly taper-pointed with 

 flat tip, mottled, narrowly sulcate dorsally and not at all ventrally, 

 erect. Flowers few. Calyx tube 2 mm. long, the teeth half the 

 tube. Leaflets, 3-4 pairs, cuneate-obovate to almost deltoid, obcor- 

 date, all the petioles half the leaf. Stems prostrate. Stipules very 

 broad for the plant and conspicuous, 2-3 mm. long, sometimes al- 

 most round. No. 2430 Mrs. Bruce, plains of Butte Co., blooming in 

 March. 



Astragalus tener var. Rattanoides n. vai'. Flowers and pods 

 rather many in dense heads, reflexed, the pods about 1.5 cm. long, 

 triquetrous, acuminate, arched to one-third circle, rigid, not mottled, 



