延边车轴草 yan bian che zhou cao

Medicago gordeievii Komarov, Bot. Mater. Gerb. Glavn. Bot. Sada R.S.F.S.R. 2: 133. 1921 ["gordeievi"]; Trigonella gordeievii (Komarov) Grossheim; Ursia gordeievii (Komarov) Vassilczenko.

Perennial herbs, villous to glabrescent. Stems 40-80 cm, decumbent-stoloniferous or procumbent-ascending, slender, branched. Leaves palmately 3-foliolate, very shortly petiolate to sessile; stipules lanceolate, membranous, entire, adnate to peti­ole for most of their length, base sheathing, apex subulate; leaf­lets obovate to elliptic, (5-)8-15(-18) × 4-8(-12) mm, finely pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lateral veins 18-24 pairs, prominent on both surfaces, extending into teeth, base broadly cuneate, apex rounded, retuse. Flowers 1(-3), in axil­lary umbel; involucre absent; peduncle shorter than or equal to leaves; bracts minute, caducous; pedicels (3-)5-7(-9) mm. Ca­lyx 8-9 × ca. 2 mm, veins 10; teeth subulate, 2-3 × length of tube. Corolla white or pink, becoming red to purple, 14-16 mm; standard oblanceolate-elliptic, claw short; wings and keel slightly shorter, with long claw equal to limbs. Ovary shortly stipitate. Legume ovate-oblong, 8-9 × ca. 3 mm, flat, apex with hooked beak. Seeds 1 or 2(-4), broadly ovoid. Fl. Jun-Sep.

Cold coniferous forests, rocky stream banks; 500-800 m. Hei­longjiang, Jilin [Russia (Far East)].