Plants sparsely pilosulous, hairs to 0.7(–0.8) mm. Stems 3–25(–39) cm. Leaves 1.5–4.5(–6.5) cm; leaflets (7 or)9–15(or 17), blades proximally obovate, oblong, or obcordate, distally oblanceolate, elliptic, or linear-oblong, apex proximally retuse or emarginate, distally obtuse to subacute, terminal one sometimes emarginate. Peduncles (1.5–)2.5–5.5(–6.5) cm. Racemes (1–)3–7-flowered; axis (0–)0.5–2 cm in fruit. Flowers: calyx 3.4–4.7 mm, loosely strigulose, tube 2–2.8 mm, lobes (1.2–)1.5–2.2(–2.5) mm; corolla banner 6.3–7.6(–9.2) mm; keel apex obtusely rounded. Legumes somewhat hamate, (12–)14–20 × 2.1–3.3 mm, glabrous or minutely strigulose. Seeds 13–17.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Mixed salt-desert and desert shrub, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper communities.
Elevation: (1000–)1100–1900 m.

Distribution

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Ariz., Colo., N.Mex., Utah.

Discussion

D. Isely (1998) suggested that large-flowered individ­uals within the range of var. micranthiformis are inter­mediates with var. austrinus. Ranges of these varieties are discrete, however, and larger-flowered plants may be part of normal variation. Variety micranthiformis occurs in approximately one-fourth of each state around the Four Corners area.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.