Astragalus convallarius var. finitimus Barneby

  • Authors

    Rupert C. Barneby

  • Authority

    Barneby, Rupert C. 1964. Atlas of North American Astragalus. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13(1): 1-596.

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Astragalus convallarius var. finitimus Barneby

  • Type

    "Utah: 3 miles south of Enterprise, Washington Co., 11 June, 1942, Ripley & Barneby 4967 ... "—Holotypus, CAS! isotypus, RSA!

  • Description

    Variety Description - Habit, etc. of var. convallarius; flowers small, the banner ± 7.5 mm., wings 7.6-8.4 mm., keel 7.7-8.1 mm. long, the blades of the latter 4.1-4.5 mm. long, ± 2.4 mm. wide; pod narrowly oblong, straight, broader and shorter (as given in the key) than in var. convallarius, strongly flattened and obscurely torulose when ripe; ovules 18-26; seeds 2-2.6 mm. long.

    Distribution and Ecology - Gravelly and sandy clay hillsides, with sagebrush, piñon and juniper, on limestone, ± 6000-6500 feet, local and apparently rather rare, Highland Range, Lincoln County, Nevada, eats to the north foothills of the Pine Valley Mountains, Washington County, Utah.—Map No. 22.—May and June.

  • Discussion

    In view of the variability allowed to the pod of var. convallarius, the present variety must appear poorly characterized. The fruiting collections examined, all from a compact area lying shortly but disjunctly to the west of the Sevier Valley which marks the southernmost outpost of var. convallarius, are alike in the relatively short and broad pod and in the high ovule- number hardly to be expected in so small a fruit. In the outline and proportion of length to width the pod of var. finitimus resembles that of A. diversifolius, with which the typus was at first confused (Barneby, 1944, p. 148). The resemblance is coincidental, however, for var. finitimus has the xerophytic habits and greatly reduced foliage of A. convallarius.

  • Distribution

    Nevada United States of America North America| Utah United States of America North America|