Astragalus filipes A. Gray,

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

26. Astragalus filipes A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 6: 226. 1864

Type:— USA, (holotype: North branch of the Columbia River, non date, C. Pickering s.n. holotype NY 00005418! (first sheet); Dry prairies between Fort Okanagan , C. Pickering s.n. NY 00005419! (second sheet); isotype: Int. Oregon, 1838, Wilkes Expedition s.n. GH 00058737 digital image!).

Homalobus filipes (Torr.) A. Heller, Muhlenbergia 9: 67. 1913.

Astragalus stenophyllus Torr & A. Gray var. filipes (Torr. ex A. Gray) Tidestr. , Proc. Bio. Soc. Washington. 50: 20. 1937.— Tragacantha filipes (Torr. ex A. Gray) Kuntze , Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 944. 1891.

Perennial. Stems striated, up to 0.9 m long, single or branched near base, erect, rarely decumbent or crawlers, green or with purple tones at the base, the base commonly without leaves, only stipules present, soft strigose to subglabrate, the trichomes up to 0.6 mm long, straight and appressed. Stipules 2–5.8 mm long, the lowest ones clasping to connate, were forming a complete sheath bidentate around stem, with brown to purple tones, the middle and upper ones clasping and shorter, not connate. Leaves 2–12 cm long, leaflets 5–23, 4.5–23 mm long, separated to each other, linear, oblong, oblong-elliptic to elliptic, obtuse to truncate, rarely acute, glabrate to pubescent in both faces, when pubescent, denser adaxially or only pubscent in one surface. Peduncles 4–22 cm long, generally straight, rarely scarce curved; the racemes 3–23 cm long, lax, flowers 4–30, pendulous. Flowers concolorous, white, cream to light-green; the clayx 4–7.7 × 2.3–4.5 mm, minute strigose, the trichome black and white mixed, the tube 3.2–5.5 mm long, the teeth 0.5–1.6 mm long, triangular, ventral pair wider than longer; the banner 10–15.3 × 4.5–10 mm long, recurved, ovate, elliptic, rhombic to spathulate; the wings 9–15.3 x 1.7–2.5 mm, the claw 3.5–6 mm, the blade 6–9.4 mm long; the keel 6.3–12 × 2.3–3.4 mm, lunate, the claw 3.3–6.5 mm long, the blade 3.6–5.8 mm, apically acute. Pod pendulous, stipitate (the stipe 6–16 mm long, straight or curved downward, minute strigose), 1.7–3 × 0.3–0.7 cm, linear, oblong to elliptic, straight or almost so, narrowed at both ends or gradually narrowing basally, distally apiculate, the sutures filiform, laterally strongly compressed, carinate, green, ochre, to light brown, glabrate or strigose, papery, reticulate, septum absent, the pod thence unilocular; ovules 11–22; seeds 2.6–3 mm long, mitten shape, brown to reddish.

Distribution:— In Mexico, recorded in northern Baja California, in the Sierra Juárez (Arroyo Piedras Finas, Los Gavilanes, La Rumorosa and El Topo), Rancho Coyotes. Also, in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in the USA ( Fig. 7 ).

Habitat:— Gravel, sandy soils; open ridge rolling tops; slopes, embankments and dry rocky fround; streams; associated to chaparral; manzanita scrublands; oak forest and oak-pine forests, 1600–1810 m

Comments:— At least twelve different species of Astragalus can be found in both of these sierras of Baja California, however, A. filipes is the only one with whitish or creamy (concolorous) flowers, and straight, flattened, linear to elliptic (never inflated nor triquetrous) pod, and a true pubescent stipe, 6–16 mm long, elevating the pod above receptacle.

Specimens examined:— BAJA CALIFORNIA: 22 June 1980, Sierra Juarez. On east slope, Arroyo Piedras Finas, 1 km S of Los Gavilanes, R. Moran 28914 ( CAS, ENCB, MEXU, NY, SD, US) ; 31 May 1952, near El Topo, Baja California, C. F. Harbison 44793 ( NY, SD) ; 27 December 1993, 4 miles north of Rancho De Coyotes on Hwy 1, D. Atwood 18885, K. Thorne, K. Anderson ( NY) ; 18 May 1986, Sierra Juárez. 44 km SE of La Rumorosa on road to Laguna Hanson, G. A. Levin 1692, C. Brey, R. P. Levin ( MEXU, NY, SD) ; 31 July 1883, Hanson’s Ranch, C. R. Orcutt ( NY) ; 22 April 1885, Hansen’s ranch, C. R. Orcutt s.n. ( NY) ; 22 June 1980, Sierra Juarez. On east slope, Arroyo Piedras Finas, 1 km S of Los Gavilanes, R. Moran 28914 ( MEXU, SD) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Map showing the distribution of Astragalus ervoides var. ervoides, A. ervoides var. maysilesii, A. esperanzae, A. fastidius, and A. filipes in Mexico.