Astragalus cimae M.E.Jones var. cimae
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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(1): 1-596.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
"Collected by Mrs. Brandegee at Cima on the edge of Nevada near the Charleston Mts. 1915." —Holotypus, dated "June, 1915" and attributed to T. S. Brandegee, POM! isotypi, UC-JEPS (K. Brandegee), UC (T. S. & K. Brandegee)! The spm. at GH, dated "May 5, 191
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Synonyms
Phacomene cimae (M.E.Jones) Rydb.
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Description
Variety Description - Pod as described in the key [Key: "Pod relatively small, the body 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 8-12 mm. in diameter, not scarcely inflated, the valves fleshy becoming stiffly leathery or subligneous, shallowly sulcate ventrally in the lower half, the thick, prominent ventral suture there depressed and lying in an open groove, the dorsal face flattened and carinate by the salient, but more slender, undulate suture; septume up to 1.8 mm. wide"], its stipe 6-8 mm. long, the body usually very strongly incurved so as to bring the beak pointing in toward the raceme-axis.
Distribution and Ecology - Mesas and stony hillsides, in stiff, calcareous clay soils, commonly among or sheltering under sagebrush, 4700-6000 feet, very local but forming colonies, known only from the New York Mountains, the Mid Hills, and the northern end of the Providence Mountains, eastern San Bernardino County, California.—Map No. 60.—April and May.
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Discussion
The Cima milk-vetch is easily recognized in the eastern Mohave Desert by its diffuse, glabrous stems, thick-textured foliage of a pallid glaucescent green, bicolored flowers of moderate size, and clavately stipitate, obcompressed, bilocular pod of fleshy or at length almost woody texture. The pale lilac or white wing-tips and pallid, flabellately purple-veined lozenge on the banner form a pleasing contrast with the vinous-purple hue of the other petals, a characteristic shade which turns violet in the press. The pod’s curvature is always pronounced but quite variable. It may be abruptly bent inward near the junction of body and stipe and moderately incurved thereafter; or strongly incurved throughout; or sometimes nearly straight at both ends, but abruptly and strongly hooked near the middle.
Cima, the supposed type-locality, is a railroad halt on the desert floor at the north foot of the New York Range, at an elevation of about 4250 feet. It is probable that the type- collection really came from the sagebrush plateau in the mountains several miles to the south.
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Objects
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Distribution
California United States of America North America|