Horn's Milk Vetch

Phaca hornii (A. Gray) Rydberg
Astragalus Hornii A. Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 7: 398. 1868.
Perennial; stem 3-5 dm. high, erect, striate, sparingly strigose or glabrate; leaves about 1 dm. long, spreading; stipules deltoid, distinct, 3 mm. long, reflexed; leaflets 21-29, oblong, 1-2 cm. long, 3-5 mm. wide, sparingly strigose; peduncles 7-10 cm. long; racemes short and dense, 2-4 cm. long, the flowers and fruits crowded; calyx more or less black-hairy, the tube 3 mm. long, the lobes subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla ochroleucous, nearly 1 cm. long; banner obovate; wingpetals nearly as long, the blade obliquely obovate, about equaling the claw, with a large basal auricle; keel-petals similar to the wings, slightly more curved; pod sessile, short-villous, ovoid, tapering into a beak, 12 mm. long, 8-9 mm. wide; seeds similar to those of the preceeding.
Type locality: Near Fort Tejon, California. Distribution: Southern California and Lower California.

Phaca tularensis Rydberg, sp. nov
Apparently perennial; stem at least 3 dm. high, strongly sulcate, sparingly pilose; leaves spreading, 2-4 cm. long; stipules deltoid, 4 mm. long, reflexed; leaflets 13-17, crowded, oblanceolate, 8-12 mm. long, 3-4 mm. wide, rather copiously long-pilose, especially when young; peduncles 1-4 cm. long, pilose ; racemes dense, 1-2 cm. long ; calyx pilose, the tube 2.5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 1.5 mm. long; corolla apparently white or ochroleucous, 8 mm. long; banner obovate; wings much shorter, the blade obliquely oblong, with a larger auricle; keelpetals nearly as long, the blade broadly lunate; pod long-pilose, obliquely ovoid, long-beaked, the upper suture slightly curved upward, the body about 1 cm. long, few-seeded.
Type collected near Tulare Lake, southern California, Lemmon (Gray Herb.). Distribution: Type locality and Pyramid Lake, Nevada.

Annual, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.