San Rafael Milkvetch

Cnemidophacos rafaelensis (M. E. Jones) Rydberg
Astragalus rafaelensis M. E. Jones, Rev. Astrag. 146. 1924.
Astragalus linifolius Osterhout, Bull. Torrey Club 55: 75. 1928.
Ctenophyllum linifolium Osterhout, Bull Torrey Club 55: 75, as synonym. 1928.
A cespitose perennial; stems many, about 5 dm. high, glabrous, somewhat striate, slightly flexuose; leaves ascending, 5-10 cm. long, the rachis filiform, channeled, with a long slender tip, without a distinct terminal leaflet; leaflets 2-4, filiform, 1-2 cm. long, less than 1 mm. wide, glabrous; stipules deltoid, connate, 2-3 mm. long; peduncles erect, slender, 1-1.5 dm. long; raceme lax, 5-10 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 2 mm. long; calyx glabrous except the ciliolate margins, the tube 5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla pink, or white tinged with pink, the keel purple-tipped; banner obovate, about 2 cm. long, moderately arched at the middle; wings IS mm. long, the blade oblong, with a reflexed basal auricle, twice as long as the claw; keel-petals 15 mm. long, the blade broadly obliquely lunate, with a small auricle; pod according to Jones reflexed, but in better specimens ascending, with both sutures prominent, elliptic-oblong, 12-15 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, and 4 mm. thick, slightly wrinkled; seed darkbrown, nearly round, 1.5 mm. long.
Type locality: Cedar Mountain, near Woodside, Utah. Distribution: Type locality and Grand Junction, Colorado.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glaucous, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules connate to each other, forming a tuber or sheath, Leaves simple, or appearing so, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margin s entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 1, Leaflets 2, Leaflets 4, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Leaves reduced to phyllodia, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals pinkish to rose, 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 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 oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruits winged, carinate, or samaroid, Fruit rugose wrinkled or reticulate, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit fleshy, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.