| Fabaceae |
|---|
Astragalus latifolius LAM. |
Astragalus L. |
| A. latifolius Lam., Encycl. 1:319 (1783). Syn: A. choicus Bunge, Astrag. Geront. 2:204 (1869); A. latifolius Lam. var. choicus (Bunge) Boiss., Fl. Or. 2:462 (1872). Ic: DC, Astrag. t. 46 (1802). Figure 2, p. 229. Scapose perennial with a woody base. Leaves 5-3 cm, unifoliolate to impari-pinnate; leaflets 15-40 mm, elliptic to ovate, apex acute, finely adpressed bifurcate-pilose, single to 3-paired; stipules c. 8 mm, triangular, joined below. Peduncles 5-13 cm. Inflorescence an elongate 10-30-ilowered spike or raceme, becoming lax in fruit, flowers subsessile. Bracts c. 6 mm, linear-lanceolate. Calyx 10-12 mm, tubular, sparsely adpressed black and white bifurcate-hairy; teeth 3-4 mm, linear. Corolla brassy to lemon yellow; standard 20-23 mm, not attenuate above. Legume 40-50 x c. 2 mm, narrowly cylindrical, straight or incurved, sparsely white adpressed bifurcate-hairy, keeled on the ventral side only, erecto-patent; beak c. 4 mm, straight. Fl. 5-6. Igneous slopes, limestone gullies, etc., 1400-2200 m. Type: [Turkey] 'Armenia', Tournefort. N.E. & E. Anatolia. A9 Kars: Kağızman, Woronov 12815! B9 Bitlis: 9 km from Ahlat to Adilcevaz, 1750 m, D. 44326! Van: 7 km from Van to Erçek, 1850 m, D. 44255! B10 Van: Özalp, 2200 m, 2.7 v 1946, Eiselt! Ağri: Doğubay-azit, below Islak Paşa palace, 1850 m, D. 43900! C10 Hakkari: 10 km from Bacirge to Yüksekova, 1900 m, D. 45195! Soviet Armenia, ir.-Tur. element. A variable species, especially with respect to leaf form (the basal leaves are commonly unifoliolate, the upper usually with up to three pairs of leaflets). A. candolleanus, which differs in having yellow or pink flowers, 2-6 per raceme, and often with entirely unifoliolate leaves, has been recorded from A8 Erzurum, nr. Oltu, & A9 Kars, nr. Kağizman, fide Grossheim : map 396. It may be no more than a depauperate form of A. latifolius. |