青海黄耆 qing hai huang qi

Astragalus nivalis Karelin & Kirilov var. aureocalycatus S. B. Ho.

Plants 12-20 cm tall, caespitose. Stems several, branched at base, densely to very densely covered with somewhat flat­tened, medifixed, appressed, white hairs 0.3-0.6 mm. Leaves 1-6 cm; stipules 4-6 mm, loosely white hairy, partly glabres­cent; petiole 0.3-2 cm, together with rachis hairy like stem; leaflets in 5-8 pairs, 2-8 × 1-3 mm, abaxially sparsely to loosely appressed white hairy, adaxially glabrous or subgla­brous. Racemes 1-2.5 cm, few flowered; peduncle 1-3 cm, rather densely hairy; bracts 3-4(-5) mm, white and black hairy, at margins with basifixed hairs. Calyx at anthesis tubular, 8-11 mm, soon inflated and ovoid to globose, 10-12 mm, loosely to rather densely covered with appressed, ± medifixed, black hairs 0.3-0.5 mm and with ascending, strongly asymmetrically bifur­cate to basifixed, slightly longer, tangled, white hairs; teeth 0.5-1.5 mm. Petals pale lilac or white with violet-tipped keel; stan­dard narrowly obovate, 18-21 × ca. 7 mm, apex retuse; wings 16-19 mm; keel 13-16(-17) mm. Legumes with a stipe 0.7-1 mm, 9-10 mm, 3-3.5 mm high, nearly without or with an in­conspicuous, reflexed beak.

● Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang.