无茎黄耆 wu jing huang qi

Astragalus litangensis Bureau & Franchet; A. pseudoxy­tropis Ulbrich.

Plants up to 15 cm tall, sparsely white hairy or sometimes glabrous or subglabrous. Stems, if present, very short, rarely up to 3 cm, glabrous. Leaves 8-15 cm; stipules whitish membra­nous, free from petiole, at base nearly completely embracing stem but not connate behind it, high connate behind abaxial side of petiole, upper ones 10-12(-15) mm, connate for 1/3-2/3 of their length, lower ones mostly shorter and connate often nearly up to top, all ciliate, rarely sparsely hairy on outer side; petiole 2-6 cm, like rachis glabrous or very sparsely hairy; leaflets in 7-12 pairs, narrowly ovate, 6-8 × 2-3 mm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely hairy at margins and midvein, rarely more densely hairy, adaxially glabrous, apex acute. Racemes subsessile, 2- or 3-flowered; bracts membranous, linear, acute, 10-15 mm, gla­brous or ciliate. Calyx tubular, 11-15 mm, tube glabrous or rarely sparsely hairy; teeth 3-4 mm, sometimes ciliate at margin and apex. Petals pale sulfur-yellow; standard widely obovate, 20-25 × 11-13(-16) mm, apex rounded to slightly emarginate; wings 19-24 mm; keel 19-22 mm. Legumes subsessile, erect, slightly obliquely oblong, 25-50 mm, 10-15 mm high and 3-4 mm wide, narrowly rounded ventrally and dorsally, without beak, nearly completely 2-locular; valves thin but tough, with numerous vertical fine nerves, glabrous.

High alpine regions; 3300-5400 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India (Sikkim)].