Astragalus mollissimus Torr. var. earlei (Rydb.) Tidestr., Proc. Biol. Soc.

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

59.2. Astragalus mollissimus Torr. var. earlei (Rydb.) Tidestr., Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 48: 40. 1935

Type:— USA, Texas, Jeff Davis County, Davis Mountains , Limpia Canyon, 5 April / 3 May 1902, Earle & Tracy 226 (holotype (based on Astragalus earlei ): NY00005408!; isotype: F0058902F digital image!, GH00058723 digital image!, PH 00005411 digital image!, US 00004076 digital image!, MO149264 digital image!) .

Astragalus earlei Greene ex Rydb., N. Amer. Fl. 24(7): 444. 1929.

Astragalus pervelutinus Rydb, N. Amer. Fl. 24: 444. 1929.

Pubescence in pod shorter than 1 mm long, rarely, the pod glabrate; petals variable in color tones, yellow (Estrada 1829, ANSM), cream (P. F. Zica 8471, NY), purple (P. F. Zika 8626, NY), rose-purple, red-purple (D. S. Correl 21586, NY) or yellowish distally and marginally purple opaque tinted, wings with whitish to yellowish apex.

Distribution:— Distributed in the arid region of northern Mexico, from northwestern and central Chihuahua, extreme northern Durango, northwestern and southern Coahuila to extreme northern Zacatecas and southwestern San Luis Potosí (surrounding San Luis Potosí City). Also, in Texas and New Mexico ( USA) ( Fig. 18 ).

Habitat:— Igneous, clayey, gravelly, and calcareous soils; clayey plains; grasslands with Juniperus ; izotal; microphyllous scrubland; desert scrubland; oak forests; overgrazed grasslands; mezquite scrublands; oak - doulgas fir association; 1300–3000 m.

Specimens examined:— CHIHUAHUA: 9 October 1993, Rancho Rincón de Los Pastores, Mpio. Saltillo , apox. 15 km al SW de Saltillo ,, brecha Slatillo-General Cepeda, M. A. Carranza 1785, L. Zamora, ( CIIDIR) ; 9 March 1997, Alrededores de Chihuahua, asociaciones de Mimosa , Acacia, E. Estrada 6890, C. Yen ( ANSM, MEXU) ; 13 May 1929, San Ysidro, S.W. of Barranca, Y. E. J. Mexia 2527-a ( NY) ; 1 April 1885, Hills and plains near Chihuahua, C. G. Pringle 189 ( NY) ; 29 March 1886, Plains near Chihuahua, C. G. Pringle 883 ( NY) ; 23 May 1929, San Ysidro , 3 miles W of., Y. Mexia 2553 ( NY) ; 15 March 1985, Route 45, near San Cristóbal, P. F. Zika 8626 ( NY) ; 9 March 1985, Canyon Mina Viega. Sierra Santa Eulalia, P. F. Zika 8510 ( NY) ; 30 March 1971, 37 mi S of Ahumada ; on Mex. hwy 45, B. J. Cox 3317 ( NY) ; 8–27 April 1908, Vicinity of Chihuahua , E. Palmer 5, 78 ( NY) ; 7 May 1959, Old lava flow, 9 miles west of General Trias , D. S. Correll 21586, I. M. Johnston ( NY) ; 9 May 1959, 3–5 miles southeast of Nueva Casas Grandes , D. S. Correll 21651, I. M. Johnston ( NY) ; 19 July 1977, 2.0 mi NE of Aquiles Serdan, Sierra Santa Eulalia (plaza) ( SE of Chihuahua City) (dirt road behind hill with the cross), E. Letho L21535, D. J. Pinkava, B. Parafitt, T. Reeves ( NY) ; 7 March 1985, Near San Antonio , Sierra Santa Eulalia, P. F. Zika 8475 ( NY COAHUILA: 29 April 2000, Ejido Patagaleana, carretera General Cepeda-Parras , aprox. 45 km de General Cepeda a Parras, M. A. Carranza C-3220, L. Zamora ( ANSM) ; 11 April 1981, Sierra de Parras , al E en Tanque Nuevo, A. Rodríguez 270, M. A. Carranza ( ANSM. MEXU) ; 17 September 1989, Sierra Maderas del Carmen , E. Estrada 1829 ( ANSM, NY) ; 10 July 1941, At Fraile, 59 km south of Saltillo , L. R. Stanford 253, K. L. Retherford, R. D. Northcraft ( NY) ; 19 August 1974, 7.3 mi. W of Fraile , R. W. Spellenberg 3789, J. Syversten ( NY) ; 11 April 1981, Sierra de Parras , al este de Tanque Nuevo, A. Rodríguez, M. A. Carranza s.n. ( ENCB) . DURANGO: 21 July 1975, Chiefly in the region, Torke 126, LeDoux, Dunn ( NY) . SAN LUIS POTOSÍ: 1878, Chiefly in the region, C. C. Parry 171, E Palmer ( NY) ; 7 August 1934, Charcas, C. L. Lundell 5086 ( JEPS) . ZACATECAS: 28 March 1973, 7½ km by road WSW of Cavopa on road to Camacho, M. C. Johnston 10451 F, F. Chiang, T. L. Wendt ( MEXU, NY) .

Figures

FIGURE 18. Map showing the distribution of Astragalus mollissimus var. bigelovii, A. mollissimus var. earleri, A. mollissimus var. irolanus, A. moranii, and A. nothoxys in Mexico.