极矮黄耆 ji ai huang qi

Plants 3-12 cm tall, subacaulescent, caespitose, covered with appressed to subappressed white hairs 0.2-0.3 mm, partly basifixed but mostly with a very short subacute basal appendix and therefore extremely asymmetrically bifurcate. Stems very short or rarely up to 10 cm and then ascending. Leaves 1.5-6 cm; stipules 2-3 mm, glabrous, nearly free from petiole; petiole 0.5-2 cm, rather densely hairy; leaflets in 3-5 pairs, elliptic to widely obovate, 2-4 × 2-3 mm, both surfaces rather densely spotted with minute blackish dots, abaxially loosely to rather densely hairy, adaxially loosely hairy, often only in basal 1/2, rounded at apex. Racemes short, 3-9-flowered; peduncle 0.5-2 cm, loosely to rather densely hairy; bracts 0.5-1 mm, white hairy. Calyx ca. 3 mm, loosely covered with short appressed white hairs; teeth 1-1.6 mm. Petals violet (according to collec­tor); standard suborbicular, ca. 6 × 5 mm, with a very short claw; wings ca. 5 mm; keel ca. 4 mm. Ovary ellipsoid, gla­brous. Legumes unknown.

● About 3200 m. W Sichuan.