Astragalus pseudovegetus

Bitlis geveni

Plants 40−50 cm tall. Caudex with a pluricipital root-crown. Stems several, branched, erect, slightly angular-sulcate, with few leaves and internodes up to 11 cm long, sparsely covered with medifixed white and black hairs 0.2−0.4 mm long. Stipules 2– 4 mm long, hyaline- membranous, free from the petiole, behind the stem shortly vaginate-connate, those of upper leaves sometimes free, subglabrous to sparsely hairy. Leaves 3−5 cm long, the lower ones with petiole up to 1.2 cm long, the upper ones subsessile; rachis sparsely to loosely hairy like the stem. Leaflets in 5−7 pairs, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong, 10−20 × 1.5 −3 mm, at the apex acute or shortly acuminate, on upper- side sparsely, on underside loosely covered with ± medifixed, appressed white hairs ca. 0.8 mm long. Peduncles 2.5−8 cm long, black hairy like the stem. Racemes rather densely 8−12-flowered, slightly elongating in fruit and up to 6 cm long. Bracts whitish-membranous, 2−3 mm long, narrowly triangular-acuminate, sparsely white and black hairy. Pedicels 0.5−1 mm long, hairy. Calyx 8−9 mm long, tubular-campanulate, slightly obliquely cut at the mouth, loosely to rather densely covered with ± medifixed, appressed, at dorsal side predominantly black, at ventral side predominantly white hairs 0.1−0.3 mm long; teeth subulate, unequal, 2−4 mm long, at the margins with basifixed, mostly white hairs sitting on little tubercles. Petals pink or lilac. Standard 18−20 mm long; blade ca. 7−8 mm wide, elliptic, in upper third slightly lingulate-attenuate and ca. 4−5 mm wide, slightly emarginate at the apex, at the base subabruptly narrowed. Wings 12−16 mm long; blades oblong- spathulate, slightly widened toward the rounded apex, 9 × 3−3.5 mm; auricle ca. 1 mm long, claw ca. 7 mm long. Keel 10−14 mm long; blades obliquely obovate, with in upper third widely curved lower edge and nearly straight upper edge, obtuse at the apex, 6.5 × 3 mm; auricle ca. 0.5 mm long, claw ca. 7 mm long. Stamen-tube truncate at the mouth. Ovary white or black hairy; style glabrous. Legumes sessile, spreading, narrowly oblong to narrowly ellipsoid, 8−10 mm long, 2.5−3 mm high and 2 mm wide, carinate ventrally, shallowly grooved dorsally, at the apex abruptly narrowed into a slender, recurved beak 3−4 mm long, incompletely bilocular; valves thin, straw-coloured to brownish, rather densely covered with medifixed, appressed white hairs 0.6−0.8 mm long, partly glabrescent. Seeds 1−2 in each locule, 3 × 1 mm, grey-brown, irregularly pitted.

Endemic