Rusby's Milkvetch

Atelophragma rusbyi (Greene) Rydb. Bull. Torrey Club 55: 162. 1928.
Astragalus Rusbyi Greene. Bull. Calif. Acad. 1: 8. 1884.
Astragalus slrigulosus brevidenlatus M. E. Jones, Rev. Astrag. 137. 1923.
A perennial, with woody root; stems 3-6 dm. high, striate, nearly glabrous, often purpletinged, branched; leaves spreading, 6-10 cm. long; stipules deltoid, 3-4 mm. long; leaflets 13-23, oblong, elliptic or oval, 5-10 mm. long, 2-6 mm. wide, glabrous above, sparingly strigose beneath, rounded or retuse at the apex; peduncles 8-10 cm. long; racemes lax, 10-15 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 2 mm. long, black-ciliate; pedicels 1 mm. long, calyx black-hairy, the tube 2.5 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, the teeth subulate, 1 mm. long; corolla cream-colored, 7 mm. long, banner obovate, strongly arched, even slightly reflexed; wings about as long, the blade oblanceolate, arcuate, with a reflexed auricle; keel-petals shorter, the blade broadly and obliquely obovate, strongly arched near the rounded tip; pod black-hairy, the stipe 5 mm. long, the body lance-oblong, about 2 cm. long, 4 mm. broad and" high, somewhat sulcate on the lower suture, the septum 1 mm. wide; seeds 12-16.
Type locality: Mount Humphreys, Arizona.
Distribution: New Mexico and Arizona.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules connate to each other, forming a tuber or sheath, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Inflorescence or flowers lax, declined or pendulous, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papili onaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.