familyFabaceae
subfamilyFabaceae subfam. Faboideae
genusAstragalus
sectionAstragalus sect. Villosi
speciesAstragalus distortus
Astragalus distortus var. distortus
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 11.
Flowers (10.5–)11–15.5 mm; calyx tube 2.8–3.8 mm, lobes 1.2–1.9(–2.5) mm. Legumes 13–25 × 4–7 mm, sutures deeply sulcate, cross section didymous.
Phenology: Flowering late Mar–Jul.
Habitat: Prairies, open pine and oak woods, shale slopes.
Elevation: 40–400 m.
Distribution
Ark., Ill., Iowa, Kans., La., Md., Miss., Mo., Okla., Va., W.Va.
Discussion
D. Isely (1998) pointed out that the widely disjunct Appalachian populations of var. distortus doubtless have been isolated for some time. Its physiological differentiation perhaps exceeds that between the two varieties, which are not clearly defined. There are no morphological differences between the Appalachian populations and those more western that justify formal taxonomic recognition.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.