Herbage pallid green or yellow­ish. Stems clustered from root-crown or subterranean to super­ficial caudex, decumbent and ascending, 5–30 cm, sometimes short, closely tuft-forming, elongating as fruit matures. Leaves (4–)5–15 cm; leaflets (13–)17–31(or 33), blades broadly to narrowly elliptic, oblong-oblanceolate, or obovate, (2–)4–17 mm, apex obtuse or subacute, sometimes callous-apiculate. Peduncles 2–9(–11) cm. Racemes 10–23(–30)-flowered; axis (1–)1.5–7(–9) cm in fruit. Pedicels 2–4 mm. Flowers: calyx (8.6–)9.6–12.6 mm, strigulose, pilosulous, or ascending-pilose, hairs mixed black and white or all black, tube (6.3–)7.5–9.2 mm, lobes (1.9–)2.3–3.6 mm; corolla whitish (faintly lilac-tinged); banner 17–25 × (8.2–)9–14 mm. Legumes broadly and plumply oblong-ovoid, oblong-obovoid, or subglobose, 15–35(–40) × 12–25 mm. Seeds 38–51. 2n = 22.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Arid sandy plains, dry stony meadows, gravelly banks, canyon benches, on granitic and various alluvial soils, in grasslands, juniper-pinyon forests.
Elevation: (1500–)1700–2400 m.

Distribution

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Ariz., N.Mex.

Discussion

Variety cavus is a xeric plant, more so than its prairie and foothills counterparts to the east and north. It occurs from central New Mexico to east-central Arizona.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.