Astragalus helleri Fenzl, Bonplandia

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

40. Astragalus helleri Fenzl, Bonplandia 8: 56. 1860

Type:— MEXICO, Veracruz, Am trachytischen Sandbogen am Westabhange der Cordillera des Orizaba zwischen 9–10,000 uber d. M., unweit des Rancho Canoitas auf dem selten betretenen Gebirgspass, welcher von Capilla nach Achilchotla fuhrt, 1846, Heller 236 (holotype: not seen).

Tragacantha helleri Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 945. 1891.

Astragalus orthanthus A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 195. 1864.— Tragacantha orthantha Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 947. 1891.

Astragalus erythrostachys Ulbr., Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 3: 192. 1902.

Perennial. Stems up to 40 cm long, a lot, crenfted, rarely few or single, basally ascending and hard, whitish-tomentose when young, turning rusty with age, trichomes up to 1.3 mm long, two types, short and long mixed. Stipules 3–10 mm long, semi-clasping, triangular to lanceolate, not connate. Leaves 8–25 cm long, leaflets 19–35, 4–13 mm long, ovate to obovate, obtuse or acute. Peduncles up to 16 cm long, hard, erect or incurved; the racemes 3.5–7 cm long, flowers 10–20. Flowers red; the calyx 1.2–1.8 × 0.4–0.5 cm, densely pubescent, the tube 0.8–1.4 cm long, cylindrical, reddish, the teeth lanceolate, 2.4–6 mm long; banner 2.4–3.3 × 0.6–0.8 cm, oblanceolate; the wings 2.2–2.9 × 0.1–0.3 cm, oblanceolate, the claw 1–1.4 cm long, the blade 1.1–1.2 cm long; the keel 2.2–2.7 × 0.2–0.3 cm, the claw 1.3–1.8 cm, the blade 0.9–1.1 cm long. Pod 2.5–5 × 1 cm, sessile, oblong to elliptic, basally rounded o narrow-rounded, distally contracted in a short beak, somewhat compressed, dorsally sulcate, the valves slightly fleshy to strongly stiffly papery, ochre, reticulate, densely tomentose, sometimes with *pink tones, septum complete, the pod thence bilocular; ovules 28–36; seeds 2–2.3 mm long, subquadrangulate to mitt-shaped, dark-brown to blackish, smooth, opaque. * F. Ventura 2425 ( NY).

Distribution:— Endemic to south of Mexico; mountains around the Cofre de Perote volcano in Central Veracruz (Frijol Colorado, Mastaloyán, Perote, Justo Sierra,Altotonga) in close proximity to Puebla (Cerro de los Derrumbaderos, San Manuel de la Sierra). Sometimes abundant ( Fig. 11 ).

Habitat:— Step hills, gravelly, volcanic, clayey, sandy, stony, yellow soils; associated to conifer forest; pineoak forest; pine - juniper forest; pine with tussock grassland; blue grama grasslands; beargrass; secondary vegetation; stream banks; 2300–3170 m.

Comments:— The three species of Astragalus with red flowers in Mexico are distantly distributed from each other, A. coccineus in Baja California, and A. sanguineus in northeastern Mexico.

Specimens examined:— PUEBLA: 28 February1981, Oriental , Portes Gil. ± 5 km. al NE de Zacatepec, carr. a Veracruz. Izotal de Nolina, C. Muñoz B. 20 ( ENCB, MEXU, NY) ; 7 May 1938, San Manuel de la Sierra, Sierra Negra, E. K. Balls 4462 (NY); 14 March 1973, Cerro de los Derumbados 3 miles NE of Zacatepec Volcanic sand and tuff, H. S. Gentry 23389 ( MEXU, US) ; 13 July 1953, Cerca de Zacatepec , D. Gold 298 ( MEXU 30 March 1984, Carretera a González Ortega 5 km después Progreso, D. Robledo M. 135 ( MEXU) ; VERACRUZ: 7 August 1971, Justo Sierra, F. Ventura A. 4015 ( ENCB, NY, SD) ; 26 July 1986, Perote , 3 kms despues de Frijol Colorado hacia Mastaloyan, M. de J. Cházaro Bazañez 3770 ( MEXU, NY) ; 25 July 1986, Perote, Cerca de Guadalupe Victoria rumbo a Los Altos, M. de J. Cházaro Bazañez 3732 ( MEXU, NY) ; 21 April 1976, Alrededores de Perote , S. Avendaño R. 203 ( MEXU, NY) ; 28 June 1977, Carretera Perote al Cofre , Perote, J. J. Fay 702, C. Hernández ( MEXU, NY, US) ; IX-1928, Slopes of Cerro de Perote , Perote, C. A. Purpus 11108 ( NY) ; 30 November 1981, Altotonga , 5 km. W of Orilla del Monte, 15 km. (by air) NW of town of Perote, M. H. Nee 23500 ( MEXU, NY) ; 4 June 2015, Perote, P. Carrillo-Reyes , V. Sosa, C. J. Vázquez-Cotero 7830 ( IBUG, IEB, MEXU) ; 4 June 1981, a 4 km del pobaldo guadalupe victoria carretera para vaquería, J. I. Calzada 7404 ( ENCB, IBUG, IEB, MEXU) ; 25 June 1986, Cerca de Guadalupe Victoria rumbo a Los Altos, M. Cházaro, R. Acosta 3732 ( MEXU) .

Figures

FIGURE 11. Map showing the distribution of Astragalus hartmanii, A. hartwegii, A. helleri, A. hidalgensis var. hidalgensis, and A. hidalgensis var. protensus in Mexico.