Plants somewhat coarse, form­ing bushy clumps, subacau­lescent or shortly caulescent, 15–45 cm, pilosulous. Stems erect or ascending, pilosu­lous. Leaves both cauline and in sub-basal cluster, (5–)7–20 cm; stipules connate-sheathing at proximal nodes, (3–)5–11 mm, fragile, submembranous early becoming papery-scarious; leaflets 25–37, blades linear-elliptic, linear-oblong, oblanceolate, or ovate-oblong, 5–27 mm, apex obtuse, acute, or retuse, surfaces pilosulous, sometimes glabrous adaxially; terminal leaflet often continuous with rachis. Peduncles erect, 12–30 cm, together with racemes longer than stems. Racemes (6–)10–30-flowered, flowers ascending to spreading; axis (3–)5–18 cm in fruit; bracts 2–9.5 mm; bracteoles 2. Pedicels 1–3.7 mm. Flowers 18–23 mm; calyx short-cylindric, (10–)11–15 mm, strigulose-pilosulous, tube (5.7–)6–7.9 × 3.6–4.8 mm, lobes lanceolate or lanceolate-caudate, (2.6–)4.6–6.7(–7.5) mm; corolla cream, immaculate; banner recurved through 45°; keel 13.4–15.6 mm. Legumes brownish stramineous, ± straight, broadly oblong-ovoid to narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, obcompressed, 11–22 × 4.5–7.2 mm, unilocular or sub-bilocular, fleshy becoming stiffly leathery or sublig­ne­ous, usually villous-pilose or glabrescent, rarely gla­brous; septum to 1 mm wide; sessile.

Phenology: Flowering late Mar–Jun.
Habitat: Dry, gravelly or grassy hillsides, canyon benches.
Elevation: 100–150 m.

Distribution

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Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Astragalus hoodianus is known from Hood River and Wasco counties in Oregon, and Klickitat County in Washington.

Astragalus hoodianus could easily be treated as a variety of A. conjunctus, as was done by C. L. Hitchcock (1961b). The long peduncles and pale flowers are remi­niscent of some species of Oxytropis, such as O. sericea. The first and second peduncles displace the stem primordium laterally, giving the appearance that the first leaves are opposite the leaf subtending the peduncle.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.