Powdery Milkvetch

Phaca cerussata (Sheldon) Rydb. Bull. Torrey Club 32:665. 1906.
Astragalus triflorus Porter & Coult. Syn. Fl. Colo. 27, in part. 1874. Not A . triflorus A. Gray, 1853. Astragalus cerussatus Sheldon. Minn. Bot. Stud. 1: 139. 1894. Astragalus trijlorus cerussatus M. E. Jones. Rev. Astrag. pi. 11. 1923.
Perennial, stems erect to spreading, 2-3 dm. high, striate, sparingly pilose; leaves 4-8 cmlong, spreading; stipules deltoid, acuminate, 3-5 mm. long; leaflets 11-17, oblong to obovate> emarginate, 5-12 mm. long, villous-pilose on both sides or glabrate above; peduncles 4-6 cmlong; racemes 3-10-flowered, 2-4 cm. long; calyx pilose, the tube 2 mm. long, the lobes subulate. 2 mm. long; corolla tipped and veined with purple, 7-S mm. long; banner obovate, retuse and reflexed; wings slightly shorter, the blade oblong, with an acute basal auricle; keel-petals strongly arcuate, obtuse, with a rounded auricle; legume sessile, pilosulous, slightly tinged with purple, but not mottled, 1.5-2 cm. long, about 1 cm. wide; seeds obliquely round-reniform, 2 mm. long.
Type locality: Canon City. Colorado.
Distribution: Central and southern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico.

Annual, Perennial, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems very short, acaulescent or subacaulescent, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, 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, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, P etals white, 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, 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 exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.