Cibola Milkvetch

Batidophaca albula (Wooton & Standley) Rydberg
Astragalus albulus Wooton & Standley. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 16: 136. 1913.
A perennial, from a woody root; stems several, 4-6 dm. high, much branched, canescent, with ascending hairs; leaves 5-8 cm. long, ascending; stipules whitish, deltoid, connate, 5-7 mm. long; leaflets 17-21, linear or oblong, 1-1.5 cm. long, acute at both ends oi obtuse at the apex, white-strigose beneath, glabiate above; peduncles 2-5 cm. long; racemes about 1 dm. long, lax; bracts ovate, membranous, 3 mm. long; pedicels very short; calyx silky with mixed black and white hairs, the tube about 7 mm. long, the teeth 2 mm. long, subulate; corolla ochroleucous, about 12 mm. long; banner obovate, slightly arched; wings nearly as long, the blade oblong-oblanceolate, with a large reflexed auricle; keel-petals slightly shorter, the blades obliquely oblanceolate, abruptly arched neai the rounded apex, with a large reflexed auricle; pod on a reflexed pedicel, glabrous, thin-walled, lanceolate in side view, 12 mm. long, 5 mm. thick, and 3 mm. wide, the upper suture acute, the lower sulcate.
Type locality". South of Gallup, New Mexico. Distribution: New Mexico.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or fr om woody crown or caudex, 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, Stems hairs pilose or spreading, Stems silvery, canescent, tomentose, cobwebby, or wooly, Stems with 2-branched hairs, dolabriform, 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 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences spikes or spike-like, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, 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 stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit strongly curved, falcate, bent, or lunate, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.