Astragalus purshii var. lagopinus (Rydb.) 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
"Type collected on plains between Preneville [properly Prineville] and Bear Buttes, Crook County, Oregon, June 25, 1894, Leiberg 326." Holotypus, NY! isotypi, MINN, POM, US!`
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Synonyms
Xylophacos lagopinus Rydb., Astragalus lagopinus (Rydb.) M.Peck, Astragalus viarius Eastw.
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Description
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Variety Description - At least shortly caulescent, the stems of the year up to 8 cm. long, arising in young plants from the root-crown, in older ones from a freely branching caudex, forming densely to quite loosely woven mats, 0.8-3 (3.5) dm. in diameter; leaves 1-4.5 (7) cm. long, with (3) 5-7 (11) narrowly to broadly obovate-cuneate, obtuse, truncate, or shallowly emarginate, rarely elliptic and subacute leaflets 5-12 (15) mm. long; racemes (2) 3-5 (7)-flowered; calyx (5.5) 6-9 mm. long, the short-cylindric or deeply campanulate tube (4) 4.5-6.7 mm. long, 2.2—3.1 mm. in diameter, the teeth (1) 1.4—3 mm. long; petals pink-purple, sometimes pale and merely tipped or margined with pink; banner 9-13.2 mm. long, (4) 5-6.6 mm. wide; wings either a trifle shorter or a trifle longer, 9-12.4 mm. long, the claws 4.3-6.5 mm., the blades (obtuse or rarely emarginate) 5.4-7 mm. long, 1.6-2.4 mm. wide; keel 8-11.3 mm. long, the claws 4.4—6 (6.8) mm., the blades 3.8-5 (5.9) mm. long, 1.8-2.5 mm. wide; pod ovoid or lance- ellipsoid, 7-17 mm. long, 3.8-5 (7) mm. in diameter, strongly incurved through at least half and up to a whole circle (this 6-10, rarely 13 mm. in diameter), openly and shallowly sulcate dorsally in the lower ½, densely shaggy-villous with hairs up to 1.8-2.8 mm. long; ovules 14-20; seeds 1.3-1.7 mm. long.
Distribution and Ecology - Dry plains and mesas, commonly in pumice sand among sagebrush, occasionally in dry rushy meadows about lake shores, 2900—4200 feet, locally plentiful along the east foot of the Cascade Range and over the adjoining plains, from the upper Deschutes River in Deschutes and Crook Counties, Oregon, south to the Lava Beds region in Modoc County, California; east sporadically in Oregon to Silver Creek and the Blitzen River in Harney County.—Map No. 86.—May to July.
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Discussion
The hare’s-foot milk-vetch, var. lagopinus, is closely related to var. lectulus, and the two are not easily told apart until the fruit has formed. The average plant of var. lagopinus forms a wider mat of foliage, and the leaflets are more often obovate-cuneate and obtuse; but the strongly incurved or coiled pod and slightly lower ovule-number are the only reliable differential characters. Within its area of dispersal, var. lagopinus is distinguished from sympatric varieties of A. Purshii by the small size of both flower and fruit.
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Objects
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Distribution
California United States of America North America| Oregon United States of America North America|