高地黄耆 gao di huang qi

Plants ca. 20 cm tall, loosely caespitose. Stems several, 10-17 cm, branched at base, sparsely to rather densely covered with appressed to subappressed or partly slightly ascending to spreading white hairs 0.2-0.4 mm, in basal part glabrescent. Leaves 4-7 cm; stipules 2.5-4 mm, free from petiole, behind stem distinctly vaginate-connate, sparsely to loosely appressed to subappressed white hairy; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm, with rachis hairy like stem; leaflets in 8 or 9 pairs, narrowly elliptic, 5-10 × 2-4 mm, abaxially sparsely to rather densely covered with sub­appressed tangled white hairs 0.5-0.8 mm, adaxially glabrous, apex acute to subobtuse. Racemes ovoid, rather loosely 10-12-flowered; peduncle 5-6 cm, hairy like stem but in upper part with very few black hairs mixed in; bracts 1-2 mm, white or predominantly white hairy. Calyx ca. 3 mm, loosely to rather densely covered with subappressed tangled white hairs 0.3-0.5 mm and with shorter appressed black hairs; teeth 1-1.5 mm. Petals whitish when dry; standard widely obo­vate-orbicular, ca. 7 × 6 mm, apex emarginate; wings ca. 6 mm; keel ca. 5 mm. Legumes sessile, obliquely ellipsoid, curved, 5-6 mm, ca. 2 mm high and ca. 1.5 mm wide, with a beak ca. 0.5 mm, incom­pletely 2-locular; valves rather densely covered with slightly ascending white hairs 0.2-0.3 mm, with some black hairs mixed in.

● E Xizang (Mainling).