Astragalus kentrophyta

Astragalus kentrophyta
	var. tegetarius
Conservation status
	; Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Astragalus
Species:	A. kentrophyta
Binomial name
	Astragalus kentrophyta; A.Gray (1862)
Subspecies
	Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. coloradoensis (M.E.Jones) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. danaus (Barneby) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. douglasii (Barneby) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. elatus (S.Watson) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. jessiae (M.Peck) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. neomexicanus (Barneby) W.A.Weber ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. ungulatus (M.E.Jones) W.A.Weber ;
Synonyms
	List Astragalus aculeatus A.Nelson (1899) ; Astragalus impensus (E.Sheld.) Wooton & Standl. (1915) ; Astragalus jessiae M.Peck (1945) ; Astragalus kentrophyta subsp. implexus (Canby ex Porter & J.M.Coult.) W.A.Weber (1983) ; Astragalus montanus (Nutt.) M.E.Jones (1923) ; Astragalus tegetarius S.Watson (1871) ; Astragalus viridis (Nutt.) E.Sheld. (1894) ; Homalobus aculeatus (A.Nelson) Rydb. (1900) ; Homalobus montanus (Nutt.) Britton (1897) ; Homalobus tegetarius (S.Watson) Rydb. (1904) ; Kentrophyta aculeata (A.Nelson) Rydb. (1905) ; Kentrophyta coloradensis (M.E.Jones) Rydb. (1929) ; Kentrophyta impensa (E.Sheld.) Rydb. (1905) ; Kentrophyta minima Rydb. (1907) ; Kentrophyta montana Nutt. (1838) ; Kentrophyta rotunda (M.E.Jones) Rydb. (1924) ; Kentrophyta tegetaria (S.Watson) Rydb. (1913) ; Kentrophyta ungulata (M.E.Jones) Rydb. (1924) ; Kentrophyta viridis Nutt. (1838) ; Phaca viridis (Nutt.) Britton (1894) ; Tragacantha montana (Nutt.) Kuntze (1891) ; Tragacantha tegetaria (S.Watson) Kuntze (1891) ; ;

Astragalus kentrophyta is a species of

Sierra Nevada

, and on plateaus.

Description

This perennial herb is somewhat variable in appearance, especially across varieties. It is generally small and low-lying, growing in spiny mats or clumps. The short stems are hairy. The small leaves are made up of smaller oval-shaped or narrow linear, spine-tipped leaflets. The inflorescence bears one to three white to pinkish purple flowers, each less than a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, flattened legume pod 4 to 9 millimeters in length.^[3]