above and below, and borne upon a stalk as long as themselves. . . . Flowers
middle-sized, white. Leaflets remote, 6-7 lines long, glabrous above. Legume
(not mature) about an inch long.” Hook.—Probably a species of Mr.
Nuttall’s genus Homalobus.
21. P. elongata (Hook.) : stem erect, (sometimes flexuous) angled, pubescent,
slightly branched; leaflets 8—10 pairs, oblong-cuneiform, retuse, canes-
cent beneath; stipules very small, acuminate from a broad base, the lower
ones united; peduncles much longer than the leaves; racemes elongated,
loose; calyx silky ; legumes sessile,coriaceous, cylindra'ceous*curved, acute.
Hook. fl.. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 140.
Plains of the Saskatchawan, Richardson, Drummond.—Stems numerous,
12-18 inches high, strict. Leaflets about an inch long, glabrous above,
canescent beneath, the younger ones silky. Peduncles about a span long’
strict, twice or thrice the length of the leaves. Flowers small, white or
ochroleucous, purple on the keel, spreading, at length reflexed.’ Legume
coriaceo-cartilaginous, hirsute ; the sutures very slightly introfiexed. Hook.
32. P. flexuosa (Hook.) : stem decumbent, flexuous, sparingly branched;
leaflets 6-9 pairs, linear-oblong, obtuse, glabrous above, clothed with appres-
sed hairs beneath ; stipules very small, acuminate from a broad base, the lower
ones united; peduncles longer than the leaves; racemes elongated, loose ;
calyx somewhat silky ; legumes sessile, coriaceous, cylindraceous, straight’
acute. Hook. 1. c.
Abundant on elevated and dry fertile soils of the Red and Assinaboin Rivers,
lat. 50°, Douglas, n “ Very similar to the preceding^ with which it
should perhaps be united ; but the leaves are smaller and narrower, ‘ the
flowers purplish and very fragrant,’ and the legumes not only smaller but
straight.” Hook.
23. P. parviflora (Nutt.! mss.): “ canescently pubescent, at length nearly
glabrous; stem erect; leaflets 5-7 pairs, linear-oblong, obtuse, petiolulate;
stipules oblong, obtuse, distinct; the upper ones almost linear; peduncles’
much longer than the leaves, the spike oblong; calyx hirsute with black hairs;
flowers dull-purple, the wings about the length of the keel; legumes on a
short stipe, at first hirsute.
“ Vallies of the Rocky Mountains.—Nearly allied to P. oroboides & P.
brachytropis; perhaps scarcely distinct from the latter: the flowers about
half the size of those of P. oroboides. Stem about a foot high.” Nuttall.__
Calyx thickly hairy with white and black hairs intermixed. We have not
seen the fruit. 24 25
24. P. pauciflora (Nutt, mss.): “ nearly glabrous; stem slender, even;
leaves on long petioles ; leaflets 8-10 pairs, lanceolate-linear, acute ; the ra-
chis grooved ; stipules partly united, acute ; peduncles few- (2- 3-) flowered
shorter than the leaves ; legumes very small, roundish-ovate, acuminate. ’
“ Plains of the Rocky Mountains, near streams.—Calyx pubescent with
blackish hairs; the teeth acute, about the length of the short tube. I have
seen but a single specimen, and that not in flower.” Nuttall.
25. P. parvifolia (Nutt, mss.): small, canescent, somewhat cssspitose;
stem very short; leaves on long petioles; leaflets 5-8 pairs (very small),lanceolate
linear, mostly acute; the rachis flattened and slightly winged; peduncles
slender, longer than the leaves; racemes short, few- (5- 7-) flowered •
calyx short, pubescent with blackish hairs, the teeth acute, a little shorter than
the tube ; legumes pubescent, sessile, terete and somewhat boat-shaped, acute.
“ Rocky Mountains towards the sources of the Platte.—A small and slender
canescent species, with purple flowers. Lower stipules united; the upper
ones smaller, triangular-ensiform.” Nuttall.—We have seen no specimens
o f this or the preceding species.
26. P. bisulcata (Hook.): minutely pubescent; stem stout, striate, ascending
or erect; leaves nearly sessile; leaflets 11-13 pairs, elliptical, somewhat
petiolulate, clothed beneath with minute appressed hairs ; stipules ovate-
lanceolate, acute, distinct; racemes pedunculate, spicate, closely-flowered,
much elongated; the flowers nodding (purple) ; legumes linear, nearly cylindrical,
stipitate, at length glabrous, nodding, with a deep furrow on each
side of the superior suture.—Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 145.
Plains of the Saskatchawan, Drummond; and near the northern sources
of the Platte, Nuttall!—A large and showy species: the stem 1-3 feet high,
scarcely branched ; the racemes, including the peduncle, at length 6-10 inches
long ; with large, crowded, rich purple flowers. Legumes nearly an inch
long, somewhat terete, narrow, between membranaceous and cartilaginous, on
a stipe about the length of the calyx, 5-6-seeded, with .2 deep furrows on the
upper side, one each side of the suture, which is not at all introfiexed.
11 Flowers ochroleucous.
*
27. P . villosm (Nutt.) : very hirsute; stem short, procumbent; leaves sub-
sessile ; leaflets 4-8 pairs, rather distant, oval, oblong, or obovate, petiolulate,
nearly glabrous above; stipules lanceolate, foliaceous; racemes somewhat
capitate, 8- 20-flowered, on peduncles shorter or sometimes a little longer
than the leaves ; segments of the calyx linear-subulate, longer than the tube;
legumes very densely villous with white hairs, sessile, inflated, oblong, acute,
subtriangular, arcuate—Mi«. ! gen. 2.p. 97 ; Ell. sk. 2 .p. 220; DC. prodr.
2. p. 274. Astragalus villosus, Michx.! fl. 2. p. 67 ; Pursh,fl. 2. p. 473.
Dry sandy soils and pine forests, S. Carolina ! to Florida ! and on the
Missouri to near its sources, Nuttall. April-May I f1 Plant 4-6 inches high;
the ascending stems short or sometimes almost none. Leaflets 3-4 lines
long, sometimes emarginate. Head of flowers close, on a long peduncle
which sometimes exceeds the leaves: bracts lanceolate-subulate, somewhat
persistent. Legumes rather erect, 8-10 lines long, 10-14-seeded, the lower
suture a little introfiexed.
28. P . lotiflora (Hook.): canescently hairy; stems numerous from one root,
very short, diffuse; leaves on rather long petioles; leaflets 4-6 pairs, rather
distant, oblong, obtuse, sessile, at length almost glabrous above; stipules
ovate, acuminate; raceme capitate, 3-9-flowered, on peduncles shorter or
sometimes longer than- the leaves (flowers small); teeth of the calyx subulate
longer than the tube and somewhat shorter than the petals; legumes canescent,
sessile, semi-ovate,pointed.—Astragalus ? (an Phaca ?)lotiflorus. Hook
fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 153. ’
On the Saskatchawan, Drummond ; and Rocky Mountains, Nu tta ll!__
Plant 3-4 inches high : stems short or almost none, crowded. Bracts subulate,
persistent. Flowers about half the size of those of P. villosa, to which
it is allied, as remarked by Hookei.JfMr. Nuttall, having obtained specimens
in fruit, has confirmed Hooker’s opinion that the plant belongs to this genus.
The legumes are about half an inch in length, turgid, straight along the upper
suture, the lower much curved.
29. P . pygmaa (Nutt.! mss.) : “ silvery-canescent, nearly stemless ;
leaves on rather long petioles ; leaflets 3-5 pairs, broadly oval or obovate, sessile
; peduncles about the length of the leaves, few-flowered; calyx tubular
clothed with appressed white and black hairs intermixed, the teeth very short
and acute; legumes (large) puberulent, sessile, ovate-oblong, terete, somewhat
arcuate, pointed ; seeds rugosely punctate.
“ Rocky Mountains, on the hills of ‘ Ham’s Fork ’ of the Colorado of the
West.—Plant 2-3 inches high: root thick, somewhat fusiform. Leaves 1-2
inches long: leaflets small. Legumes very large for the size of the plant