Pauper Milkvetch

Tium misellum (S. Wats.) Rydberg
Astragalus miscllus S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 21: 449. 1886.
Astragalus drepanolobus aberrans M. E. Jones, Contr. W. Bot. 10: 64. 1902.
Phaca misella Piper, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. II: 371. 1906.
Astragalus Howellii misellus M. E. Jones, Rev. Astrag. 262. 1923.
A perennial, with cespitose caudex; stems 1-3 dm. high, decumbent at the base, shortpubescent; leaves 3-6 cm. long, ascending; stipules deltoid, 2 mm. long; leaflets 13-17, oblong or elliptic, 5-10 mm. long, 1-3 mm. wide, glabrous above, sparingly pubescent beneath, obtuse; peduncles 2-5 cm. long; racemes 2-3 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, about 1 mm. long; pedicels 1-2 mm. long, recurved; calyx short-villous, the tube 2.5-3 mm. long, the teeth lance-subulate, 1 mm. long; corolla yellowish, 7-8 mm. long; banner obovate; wings shorter, the blade obliquely oblanceolate, falcate, with a large auricle, as long as the claw; keel-petals much shorter, the blade almost semiorbicular; pod short-villous, stipitate, the stipe 3-5 mm. long, the body lance-linear, tapering at each end, falcate, 15IS mm. long, 3 mm. wide and about as thick, the upper suture acute, the lower sulcate, the cross-section cordate, the septum 1.5 mm. wide, nearly meeting the upper suture.
Type locality: Mitchell, Wasco County. Oregon. Distribution: Oregon and southeastern Washington.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, 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, Stipules clasping stem at the base, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals greenish yellow, 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 tardily or weakly 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 hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.