Plants tuft-forming, acaulescent or shortly caulescent, 4(–6) cm, strigulose, hairs malpighian; from superficial caudex. Stems prostrate, 0–4(–6) cm, internodes to 8 mm, strigulose. Leaves (1–)2–6.5 cm; stipules (2–)2.5–5 mm, sub­membranous; leaflets 7–15, blades obovate, oval, or elliptic-oblanceolate, 2–8(–11) mm, apex usually obtuse, sometimes subacute or obscurely emarginate, surfaces strigulose. Peduncles incurved-ascending, 3–6.5 cm. Racemes (3–)5–14-flowered, flowers ascending; axis 0.4–1.5 cm in fruit; bracts 1.5–2.7 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 0.7–1.6 mm. Flowers 7–8.3 mm; calyx cam­panulate, 4.6–5.1 mm, strigulose, tube 3.5–3.9 mm, lobes subulate, 1–1.6 mm; corolla ochroleucous or purple-veined or -margined; banner abruptly recurved through 90–100°; keel 6.9–7.8 mm. Legumes long-persistent on receptacle, spreading or ascending, brown or black, ± straight, plumply ovoid or oblong-ellipsoid, 9–18 × 4–7(–8) mm, unilocular or subunilocular, distinctly beaked, fleshy becoming leathery, strigulose. Seeds 22–32.

Phenology: Flowering (Mar–)May–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat: Gravelly clay banks and knolls, on stiff, dry, alkaline soils derived from sandstone, pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation: 1900–2500 m.

Distribution

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N.Mex.

Discussion

D. Isely placed Astragalus accumbens as a variety within A. missouriensis, which has merit; it differs from its close geographic congener principally in the comparatively broader calyx and shortly clawed petals. Astragalus accumbens is known only from the Zuni Mountains in northwestern New Mexico.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.