Astragalus castaneiformis var. consobrinus Barneby
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Authors
Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Barneby, Rupert C. 1964. Atlas of North American Astragalus. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 13(2): 597-1188.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
"Utah ... southeast of Bicknell, Wayne Co., alt. 7600 ft., 10 June, 1947, fl. & fr., Ripley & Barneby No. 8605"—Holotypus, CAS! isotypi, GH, NY, RM, RSA, UTC!
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Description
Variety Description - Usually very dwarf and condensed, without perceptible caudex, sometimes flowering the first season; racemes 2-7-flowered, the axis 1-10 mm. long in fruit; pedicels at anthesis 1.2-1.5 mm., in fruit 2-2.3 mm. long; calyx usually tapering toward the base, narrowly vase-shaped; petals white or whitish except for the pinkish keel-tip, turning ochroleucous when dry; wings 10.1-14.7 mm., the claws 4.8-7 (7.5) mm. long; keel 8.3-12 mm., the claws 5-7.6 mm. long; anthers 0.5-0.65 mm. long; pod obliquely ovoid or lance-ovoid, either nearly straight or gently incurved.
Distribution and Ecology - Open gravelly or sandy knolls, barren stony hillsides, and cobblestone bluffs, in alluvial soils of varied composition, but only rarely on basalt, sometimes in yellow pine forest, 6000-8000 feet, apparently not common but sometimes locally plentiful on both slopes of the Colorado-Sevier watershed in eastern Sevier, western Wayne, Piute, and western Garfield Counties, Utah.—Map No. 90.—May to June. June.
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Discussion
The var. consobrinus is an inconspicuous little plant, sometimes flowering precociously as a leafy tuft only 3—4 cm. across, but eventually developing a woody caudex. It coincides in range with forms of A. argophyllus but may be distinguished by the hair-attachment and by the flower’s small size.
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Objects
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Distribution
Utah United States of America North America|