Lesser Rushy Milkvetch

Homalobus junciformis (A. Nelson) Rydb. Bull Torrey Club 32:666. 1906.
Astragalus junciformis A. Nelson, Bull Torrey Club 26: 9. 1899.
A perennial, with a rootstock, usually branching below ground; stem cinereous-strigose, 2-4 dm. high, striate or angled; leaves 4-7 cm. long, with 5-9 leaflets, or the upper reduced to the mere rachis; stipules triangular, 2-3 mm. long, scarious, the lower connate; lateral leaflets linear or oblong, 5-15 mm. long, 1-3 mm. wide, strigose, the terminal one similar or often wanting and represented by the prolonged rachis; racemes lax, together with the peduncle 8-15 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 1-2 mm. long; calyx strigose, more or less black-hairy, the tube 4 mm. long, the teeth 0.6 mm. long, broadly deltoid; corolla ochroleucous, 10 mm. long, the petals similar to those of H. campeslris; pod strigose, linear, 3 cm. long.
Type locality: Point of Rocks, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Distribution: Southern Wyoming and northeastern Utah.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules connate to each other, forming a tuber or sheath, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 1, Leaflets 2, Leaflets 3, Leaflets 4, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Inflorescence or flowers lax, declined or pendulous, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obt use or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.