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Astragalus coltonii var. coltonii
Astragalus coltonii M.E. Jones var. coltonii
Colton's Milkvetch
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: ASCOC8
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
"Sparsely leafy, ephedroid or ± junceous, the numerous stems arising from the buried root-crown or (especially on rocky slopes) from an aerial, ultimately forking and suffruticulose caudex; leaflets, when present, either pubescent on both sides or glabrous above, greenish or cinereous." (bibref: 1813).
"In dry springs and always with the advance of summer the Colton milk-vetch forms inconspicuous broomlike tufts of almost leafless stems not easily recognized as an astragalus. However in late April or May of favorable years, the plants erupt into a mass of pink-purple which rivals that of Hedysarum boreale Nutt, in richness of color and is quickly followed by strings of bladelike pods pendulous on thready stipes. In its area of dispersal it is the only ephedroid astragalus with bright purple flowers. Mention has already been made of the variation in position of the root-crown. An exposed caudex, anomalous in sect. Lonchocarpi, is correlated with talus habitat and is believed to be the result of physical accident rather than an inherent character." (bibref: 1813).
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Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: "Stems arising from a subterranean root-crown (as typical of the section) or rarely (in A. c. var. Coltoni) from divisions of an aerial, eventually suffruticulose caudex, usually several or numerous, erect and ascending in clumps, 1-4 dm. lo
Leaf: "Leaves 2-10 cm. long, the lowest ones petioled and bearing 1-5 distant pairs of linear, rarely linear-oblong, obtuse or subacute, flat or commonly involute leaflets 4-10 (14) mm. long, the terminal one confluent, the upper leaves, sometimes nearly all, reduced to a wiry or subfiliform rachis often expanded at tip into a linear phyllode representing the terminal leaflet." (bibref: 1813).
Flower: "Peduncles erect or strictly incurved-ascending, 1-3 dm. long, the lowest 1-2 usually much longer and stouter than the rest and far surpassing the leaves, the racemes mostly projected well beyond the leafy part of the plant; racemes loosely (2) 5-20-flowered, the axis elongating, (1.5) 3-16 cm. long in fruit; bracts membranous, ovate or lanceolate, 0.5-3.2 mm. long; pedicels at first ascending, 0.8-1.5 mm. long, early arched outward or decurved, sometimes horizontally spreading, in fruit thickened, 1-2.5 mm. long; bracteoles 0, rarely a minute scale; calyx 4.5-8 mm. long, densely to quite thinly black-strigulose, the oblique disc 0.9-1.5 (1.8) mm. deep, the membranous, purplish, deeply campanulate or cylindric tube 4-6.7 mm. long, 2.3-3.7 mm. in diameter, the deltoid, triangular, or broadly subulate, often obtuse teeth 0.6-1.8 (2.3) mm. long, the ventral pair commonly shortest, the orifice strongly or little oblique; petals bright pink-purple, drying bluish, the wing-tips often paler; banner broadly rhombic-elliptic, -obovate, or broadly spatulate, notched or scarcely emarginate, 12-18.5 mm. long, (6) 6.5-12.5 mm. wide; wings as long or a little shorter, 11-18.3 mm. long, the claws 5.3-7.8 mm., the narrowly lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, or -oblanceolate, obtuse, subtruncate, or obliquely emarginate, straight or slightly incurved blades 8.6-11.8 mm. long, 2.3 3.5 mm. wide; keel 9-13 mm. long, the claws 4.9-7.4 mm., the half-obovate or lunately half-elliptic blades 4.6-6.6 mm. long, 2.3-3.5 mm. wide, incurved through 85-95 degrees to the triangular-deltoid, sometimes slightly porrect and subacute apex; anthers (0.55) 0.6-0.9 (1) mm. long." (bibref: 1813).
Fruit: "Pod pendulous, stipitate, the slender stipe 4-9 mm. long, the body oblong, linear-oblong, or -oblanceolate, 2.5-3.2 cm. long, (3) 3.5-5.2 mm. in diameter, straight or gently decurved, narrowly cuneate at base or tapering gradually downward into the stipe, cuneate-cuspidate at apex, strongly compressed laterally and 2-sided, bicarinate by the subfiliform but salient sutures, the faces low-convex, the somewhat fleshy, green or reddish, glabrous valves becoming stiffly papery, stramineous, almost smooth to faintly rugulose and cross-reticulate; ovules 14-20; seeds brown or olivaceous, sometimes purple- speckled, sparsely punctate, sublustrous, (2.9) 3.2-4.4 mm. long." (bibref: 1813).
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Pink , Blue , PurpleBloom Time: Apr , May , Jun
Bloom Notes: "Petals bright pink-purple, drying bluish." (bibref: 1813).
Distribution
USA: UTNative Distribution: "Rarely up to 8000 feet, mostly on sandstone, locally plentiful along the west edge of the Colorado Basin from the upper Price River in Carbon County south to the Kaiparowits Plateau in Kane County, Utah; Sevier Valley in Sevier County." (bibref: 1813).
Native Habitat: "Dry banks, gullied clay knolls, cobblestone bluffs, sometimes on sandy rock ledges or on boulder-strewn talus under cliffs, mostly 5500-6600." (bibref: 1813).
Bibliography
Bibref 1813 - Atlas of North American Astragalus (1964) Barneby, Rupert C.Search More Titles in Bibliography
Additional resources
USDA: Find Astragalus coltonii var. coltonii in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Astragalus coltonii var. coltonii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Astragalus coltonii var. coltonii
Metadata
Record Modified: 2020-12-07Research By: Joseph A. Marcus