Astragalus pomonensis M. E. Jones, Contr. W. Bot.

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

72. Astragalus pomonensis M. E. Jones, Contr. W. Bot. 10: 59, pl. 9. 1902

Type: — USA, California, Pomona, Tamcula, 24 April 1882, Jones 3166 (holotype: RSA 0003063 digital image!, RSA 0003064 digital image!; lectotype: BM 001042746 digital image!; isolectoype: NY 00005662 digital image!, US 01108150 digital image!) .

Phaca pomonensis (M. E. Jones) Rydb., N. Amer. Fl. 24(6): 346. 1929.

Perennial; Stems up to 80 cm long, decumbent and scattered, suberect, rarely erect, pubescent to glabrate; trichomes up to 0.7 mm long, appressed, subappressed or almost straight. Stipules 2–10.5 mm long, ovate to deltoid, semi-clasping, surrounding half or almost the total of stem´s circumference, not connate. Leaves 5–22 cm long, leaflets 25–41, 3–37 mm long, linear, oblong, elliptic, ovate to rhombic, truncate, subacute, retuse, mucronate, abaxially minute strigose or few scattered trichomes. Peduncles 5.5–14 cm long, erect or somewhat decumbent with age; the racemes 3–9.5 cm long, flowers 10–45. Flowers whitish or white with green tones to ochroleucous; the calyx 5–7.7 × 3–4.5 mm, strigose, the trichomes white, black or both mixed, the tube 3.5–5 mm long, campanulate basally inequilaterous, the teeth 1–3 mm long, triangular to subulate; the banner 11–15.3 × 5.7–8 mm, recurved, obovate to rhombic; the wings 10.6–15 × 2.2–3.2 mm, the claw 5–6.9 mm long, the blade 6.2–9.5 mm long, oblong to; the keel 9.4–13.2 × 2.3–2.9 mm, the claw 5.1–6.9 mm long, the blade 4.6–6.9 mm long, incurved. Pod 1.8–5 × 1–2.4 cm, sessile, ascending o spreading, oblique, ovoid, inflated, bladder like, basally rounded, distally contracted in a short, straight or curved beak, ventrally open sulcate along the suture, dorsally slightly sulcate along suture, the valves ochre to purple, scattered strigose to glabrate with age, papery, sub-diaphanous and shiny, soflty reticulate, septum absent; ovules 34–55; seeds 2.3–3.5 mm long, mitten shape, brown, olive, opaque.

Distribution:— In Mexico, only in Baja California, from Ensenada, through Ejido Erendira and San Vicente to Ignacio López Rayón (31°11’N – 116°20’W) and one isolated location, near Santa Catarina (29°31’N – 115°15’W). Also, in California in USA ( Fig. 22 ).

Habitat:— Sandy and granitic soils; grasslands; stream banks with willow, salt cedar; roadside; disturbed areas with estafiate; 225– 675 m.

Comments:— This small surface adjacent to Ensenada harbors at least nine Astragalus species. But only A. douglasii var. parishii and A. pomonensis has whitish, yellowish to ochroleucous flowers, they can be discerned by the leaflets number (11–19 in A. douglasii ) and petal size (shorter in A. douglasii , banner 8.1–12 mm, wings 7.9–10.7 mm, keel 7.8–9.6 mm).

Specimens examined:—BAJA CALIFORNIA: 20 May 1979, Las Cruces ca. 20 km east of Ensenada , R. Moran 27300 ( CAS, SD) ; 18 March 1956, J. T. Howell San Carlos Canyon below Agua Caliente, 31085 ( CAS) ; 4 April 1982, Canon San Jose, 17 km E of San Vicente, in brad sandy arroyo, R. Moran 30266 ( MEXU, NY, SD, TEX-LL) ; 25 April 1976, Common at roadside and on grassy flat, about 3 kilometers south of Uruapan , R. Moran 22905 ( ENCB, NY, US) ; 1 May 1976, Mountains 8 km SW of Ojos Negros; noted for ca. 3 miles only at roadside, R. Moran 22919 ( ENCB, NY, SD) ; 5 April 1931, Las Animas Canyon 15–20 miles osuth of Ensenada, I. L. Wiggins 5169 ( CAS, NY, US) ; 30 May 1983, Ca. 16.6 miles east of Ensenada along Hwy to San Felipe, in sandy burned-over field (probably formerly mostly sage scrub) R. F. Thorne 56016, W. Wisura, W. Steinman, et al. ( SD) ; 16 November 1980, Santa Lucía, mouth of Cañón San Carlos, in sandy bottom near stream, R. Moran 29458 ( SD) ; 4 April 1982, Rancho San José, 16 km east of San Vicente , in weedy field & at roadside, R. Moran 30255 ( ENCB, SD) ; 10 April 1982, Arroyo San Vicente in sandy bed, 3 km NE of San Vicente, R. Moran 30275 ( MEXU, SD) ; 10 April 1982, Cañón Agua Caliente , 5 km NE of San Vicente, in sandy bottom, R. Moran 30303 ( SD) ; 18 February1956, Floor of San Carlos Canyon below Aqua Caliente, J. T. Howell 31085 ( SD) ; 8 April 1979, 1 km ENE of Media Luna (west of Ojos Negros ), at roadside, R. Moran 26972 ( SD) ; 21 March 2012, Canyon San Isidro; approximately 3.3 km northeast of Erendira , in the bottom of the canyon just south off the main road into Erendira, J. Rebman 22838, S. Vanderplank ( SD) ; 18 March 1987, L. E. López 38 ( MEXU) ; 14 July 2016, Ejido Eréndira, aporx. 100 km al sur de Ensenada, por la carretera a San Quintín, mpio. Ensenada, Estrada 22829, Yen, Delgadillo ( CFNL) .

Figures

FIGURE 22. Map showing the distribution of Astragalus pomonensis, A. pomphocalyx, A. potosinus, A. pringlei, and A. prorifer in Mexico.