Astragalus lentiginosus var. lentiginosus

General:
Perennial herb from a stout taproot and much-branched stem-base; stems spreading to erect, 10-40 cm long/tall, mostly unbranched, glabrous.

Leaves:
Alternate, stalked, pinnately compound, somewhat fleshy; leaflets 9 to 19, oblanceolate to egg-shaped, 5-15 mm long, glabrous at least above; stipules lanceolate, not joined, 2-5 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, axillary raceme of 8 to 25 spreading-ascending, pea-like flowers, the racemes to 3 cm long, on stalks shorter than the leaves; corollas white to pinkish, 8-18 mm long, the banner longer than the wings and keel; calyces hairy, 3-7 mm long, the awl-shaped teeth 1/2 as long as the tube.

Fruits:
Pods, egg- to lance-shaped, tapering to a beak, unstalked, inflated, glabrous to short-hairy, membranous to leathery, curved, 1-3 cm long, not flattened, 2-chambered.

Notes:
Barneby (1964) treats this species as a complex of 34 variants. We do not know enough about the range of variation in BC material to partition it among infraspecific taxa, even if a practical taxonomy existed. Therefore we are treating this entity in the broad sense.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Flower Colour:
Yellow

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present over the Summer

Source:  The USDA

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Astragalus lentiginosus var. salinus (Howell) Barneby