疏毛野豌豆 shu mao ye wan dou

Orobus subvillosus Ledebour, Fl. Altaic. 3: 359. 1831; Lathyrus subvillosus (Ledebour) Aitchison & Hemsley; O. tri­florus Beck ex Stapf; Vicia subvillosa var. stenophylla M. Popov.

Herbs perennial, 15-30 cm tall, sparsely to densely vil­lous. Leaves usually imparipinnate, 1.5-4 cm; stipules digitate-hastate, divided nearly to middle into 5-7 narrowly triangular, unequal teeth; leaflets 2-4-paired and usually also 1 terminal, linear, 10-20 × 1-2 mm, apex acute, mucronate; tendril absent. Raceme 4-8 cm, longer than leaf, 2-4-flowered. Calyx tube ca. 5 mm; teeth ca. 2 mm. Corolla purple, with dark patch on abax­ial surface of standard and pale yellow wings, 1.8-2 cm; stan­dard longer than wings and keel. Legume light brown, narrowly oblanceolate, gradually narrowed toward base, abruptly nar­rowed at apex, 25-40 × 6-10 mm, glabrous; persistent style curved, 5-7 mm. Seeds 2-4. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jun.

Steppes or foothills. W Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyr­gyzstan, Mongolia, Russia (Altai), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbeki­stan; SW Asia (Iran)].

Vicia subvillosa is included here on the basis of two specimens collected during the 19th century in what is now Xinjiang: "Songaria chinensis, ad lacum Saisang-Nor," 1838, C. A Meyer 18095 (BM!) and "Songaria chin. ad lacum Saisang-Nor" [without date or collector] (K!). Confirmation of its continued presence in China is needed. The species was also recorded from Xinjiang by Chang Y. Yang (Claves Pl. Xin­jiang. 3: 193. 1985).

Very similar plants in Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan are separated as Vicia iranica Boissier (Fl. Orient. 2: 581. 1872-1873; Orobus persicus Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 1, 2: 107. 1843, not V. persica Boissier, 1843).

Vicia semenovii (Regel & Herder) B. Fedtschenko (Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 24: 245. 1905, "semenowi"; Orobus semenovii Regel & Herder, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 39(2): 35. 1866) was recorded from Xinjiang by Chang Y. Yang (Claves Pl. Xinjiang. 3: 194. 1985). This species differs from V. subvillosa in having stipules only dentate at the base and leaflets elliptic-lanceolate and larger (5-11 × 1.5-4 mm). It is otherwise known from high mountains (2500-4200 m) in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. However, the present authors found no relevant specimens and therefore could not substantiate the occurrence of this species in China.