Astragalus francisquitensis M. E. Jones, Proc. Calif. Acad. Ser.

Castillón, Eduardo Estrada, Quintanilla, José Ángel Villarreal, Delgado-Salinas, Alfonso & Rebman, Jon P., 2023, The genus Astragalus (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Galegeae) in Mexico, Phytotaxa 586 (1), pp. 1921-1935 : 1921-1935

27. Astragalus francisquitensis M. E. Jones, Proc. Calif. Acad. Ser. 2, 5: 666. 1895

Type:— MEXICO, Baja California Sur, San Francisquito, 18 October 1891, T. S. Brandegee s.n. (holotype: CAS 0000958 digital image!; isotype: Sierra de San Francisquito , T. S. Brandegee 139 UC 84759 digital image!) .

Astragalus lagunensis M. E. Jones, Contrib. W. Bot. 8: 11. 1898.

Hamosa francisquitensis Rydb., N. Amer. Fl. 24(7): 429. 1929.

Annual or biennal. Stems up to 60 cm long, slightly ascendant to prostrate, scattered strigose, the trichomes up to 0.5 mm long, appressed, straight. Stipules 1–5 mm long, semi-clasping, not connate, papery, ovate to lanceolate, green or frequently purple. Leaves 1–8.5 cm long, leaflets 7–21, 2–11 mm long, oblong, elliptic to spathulate, entire or slightly retuse apically, thin and delicate, bicolored, green-yellowish and glabrate adaxially. Peduncles 2–12 cm long, ascendant; the racemes 1–4 cm long, flowers 2–10. Flowers lavender, purple, light purple, pinkish-purple, sometimes the banner red-violet; the calyx 4.4–5.7 × 2.6–3.2 mm, minute strigose, the trichomes white only, the tube 2.6–3.2 mm long, the teeth 1.4–2.6 mm long, subulate to lanceolate, rarely little wider; the banner 8.1–10.3 × 3.3–6.2 mm, recurved, ovate to oblanceolate, retuse distally; wings 8–9.3 × 1.2–2.1 mm, the claw 2.8–3.4 mm long, the blade 5.2–6.2 mm long, oblong to oblanceolate, obtuse or retuse apically; the keel 5.3–6.4 × 1.6–2.2 mm, the claw 3–3.4 mm long, the blade 2.8–3.7 mm long, semi-obovate. Pod 1–1.5 × 0.2–0.35 cm, sessile, ascending or erect, obtuse basally, narrowing gradually apically, ending in a short beak, linear-oblong, triquetrous, straight or almost so, laterally compressed and almost flat, dorsally deeply sulcated, ventrally carinate; the valves green, papery, ochre, scattered and minute strigose, reticulate, septum complete, the pod thence bilocular; ovules 6–12; seeds 1.3–1.6 mm long, mitten shaped, brown.

Distribution:— Endemic to Baja California Sur. Astragalus francisquitensis has the most southern distribution of any other species in this genus on the peninsula of Baja California, and it is the the only member of the genus occurring in the Sierra La Laguna ( Fig. 8 ).

Habitat:— Granitic and sandy soils, also in compact shallow soils; open slopes; dry rocky ground; granitic gravels; dry banks just above streams; associated with open grasslands surrounded by pine-oak forest; forest with oak, pine, madrone; areas with oak and palms as dominant; grassy forest openings; 200–2200 m.

Specimens examined:—BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR: 1 February2005, M. Domínguez León 3851 ( BCMEX) ; 8 December 1947, Along trail to Laguna, Sierra de la Laguna , east of Todos Santos , A. Carter 2441, A. M. Alexander, L. Kellogg ( NY, MEXU, US) ; 2 March 1928, Laguna Mountains , M. E. Jones 24175 ( CAS, NY, SD, TEX-LL) ; 9–11 May 1959, The Cape region. Potrero de Almenta, Arroyo de Almenta , eastern slopes of the Sierra de la Victoria. Inland from Caduano, J. H. Thomas 7843 ( CAS, NY) ; 16/ 18 May 1959, Cape Region. La Laguna , J. H. Thomas 7913 ( CAS, MEXU, NY, SD) ; 9/ 11 May 1959, The Cape Region. Potrero de Almenta. Arroya de Almenta , eastern slopes of the Sierra de la Victoria. Inland from Caduano, J. H. Thomas 7844a ( MEXU) ; 30 April 1959, Near canon mouth, El Chorro, R. Moran 7291 ( CAS, NY) ; I March 1939, Cerro de la Giganta, H. S. Gentry 4287 ( CAS, MEXU, NY, US) ; 23 March 1939, H. S. Gentry La Laguna, Sierra Laguna, 4376 ( CAS, MEXU, NY) ; 12 April 1955, La Chuparosa. From San Jorge to San Francisquito and La Chuparosa, east side of Sierra de la Victoria, A. Carter 3358 ( CAS, SD) ; 26 March 1892, Sierra de la Laguna, T. S. Brandegee, s.n. ( US) ; 21 March 1991, La Paz — Cerro La Torre, Sierra de La Laguna , M. Domínguez L. 241 ( MEXU) .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Map showing the distribution of Astragalus francisquitensis, A. gambelianus, A. gentryi, and A. giganteus in Mexico.