Case's Milkvetch

Xylophacos casei (A. Gray) Rydb. Bull. Torrey Club
52: 147. 1925.
Astragalus Casei A. Gray, Bot. Calif. 1 : 154. 1876. Tragacantha Casei Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 943. 1891.
A perennial, with a deep root and cespitose eaudex; stems erect, 2-5 dm. high, somewhat flexuose, canescent-strigose ; leaves ascending, 3-10 cm. long; stipules green, deltoid, reflexed, 3-5 mm. long; leaflets 5-15, linear or rarely linear-oblong, 8-18 mm. long, 1-2.5 mm. wide, canescent-strigose on both sides, obtuse, truncate or retuse at the apex; peduncles 5-10 cm. long; raceme rather lax, 5-10 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 2-3 mm. long, longer than the pedicels; calyx more or less black-hairy, the tube 7-8 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla purple, 15-18 mm. long; banner oblong-obovate, deeply notched, with a fanshaped white spot; wings oblanceolate, slightly arcuate; keel-petals much shorter, abruptly arched, obtuse at the apex; pod 3-3.5 cm. long, short-acuminate at the base, long-acuminate at the apex, obcompressed, or even sulcate on the lower suture, reticulate, strigulose, somewhat mottled, 3.5-4 cm. long; 5 mm. wide, 8 mm. thick.
Type locality: High plateau, near Pyramid Lake, Nevada.
Distribution: Western Nevada and eastern California, apparently also southeastern Washington.

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 or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bract s very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals pinkish to rose, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse 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 elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit rugose wrinkled or reticulate, Fruit fleshy, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, 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.

Astragalus casei is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Case's milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert and its sky island woodlands of eastern California and western Nevada.