Plants annual or perennial, loosely tuft-forming, 9–45 cm, strigulose-villosulous; from weak caudex or root-crown. Stems ascending to erect or spreading-decumbent, diffuse, radiating, strigulose. Leaves 2–9 cm; stipules distinct, 1–4.5 mm, papery at proximal nodes, herbaceous at distal nodes; leaflets 5–15, blades oblong to ovate, obovate, or elliptic, 2–14 mm, apex obtuse to retuse, mucronate, or acute, surfaces villosulous. Peduncles incurved, 1–4 cm. Racemes 3–12-flowered, flowers spreading; axis 0.4–3.5 cm in fruit; bracts 1–3 mm; bracteoles 0. Pedicels 0.5–2 mm. Flowers 8.8–12.2 mm; calyx campanulate, 4.8–6.3 mm, villosulous, tube 2.8–4.2 mm, lobes subulate, 1.8–2.8 mm; corolla pink-purple or ochroleucous; banner incurved through 90–110°; keel 7.3–8.7 mm, apex bluntly triangular or deltate. Legumes deciduous from receptacle, spreading-declined, green or reddish becoming stramineous, incurved through 0.25–0.5 spiral, obliquely lanceoloid-ellipsoid, inflated, 12–20 × 4–8(–9) mm, thin becoming papery, shaggy-pilose, hairs lustrous, 1–2 mm. Seeds 9–18.

Distribution

w United States.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Astragalus pubentissimus var. peabodianus, Astragalus pubentissimus var. pubentissimus

Key

1	Stems ascending to erect; corollas bright pink-purple; Colorado, Utah, Wyoming.	Astragalus pubentissimus var. pubentissimus
1	Stems spreading-decumbent; corollas ochro­leucous or pale to dark pink-purple (vari­colored, often in same inflorescence); Tavaputs Plateau, Book Clifs, Emery and Grand counties, Utah.	Astragalus pubentissimus var. peabodianus