Douglas's Milkvetch

Phaca douglasii T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1: 346. 1838
Astragalus Douglasii A. Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 6: 215. 1864. Tragacaniha Douglasii Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 944. 1891. Astragalus tejonensis M. E. Jones, Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 5: 644. 1895. Phaca tejonensis A. Heller, Muhlenbergia 2: 85. 1905.
Perennial, with a cespitose caudey; stem erect, 2-4 dm. high, striate, glabrate or strigose; leaves ascending, 7-12 cm. long; stipules deltoid, distinct, 4 mm. long; rachis sparingly strigose or glabrate; leaflets 15-23, rather firm, elliptic or oblong, S-20 mm. long, 3-8 mm. wide, more or less strigose or in age glabrate; peduncles 3-4 cm. long; racemes 5-15-flowered, 2-4 cm. long; calyx rather densely but finely white-strigose, the tube 3 mm. long, the lobes subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla yellowish or straw-colored, 10 mm. long; banner obovate, reflexed; wings slightly shoi ter, the blade obliquely oblong, with an acute basal auricle ; wing-petals still shorter, strongly arcuate, rounded at the apex; pod rather elongate-ellipsoid, 3-4 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, strigulose.
Type locality: California [probably Monterey|.
Distribution: San Benito and Monterey counties, California, and southward, to northern Lower California.

Phaca vallicola Rydberg, sp. nov
Perennial, often cespitose at the base; stems 3-4 dm. high, striate, glabrous; leaves ascending, 7-10 cm. long; stipules deltoid, 3-4 mm. long; leaflets 13-19, elliptic or oblong, 8-20 mm. long, glabrous above, sparingly strigose and glabrate beneath, often retuse at the apex; racemes 5-S cm. long, somewhat arcuate; bracts subulate 2 mm. long; calyx silkystrigose, the tube 4 mm. long, the teeth deltoid, about 1 mm. long; corolla ochroleucous, 8-9 mm. long, like that of the pieceding; pod sparingly pubescent, broadly ellipsoid, 4-5 cm. long, 2-2.5 cm. wide.
Type collected in Bear Valley, San Bernadino Mountains, 1886. 5. B. &> W. F. Parish 1407 D (herb. N. Y. Bot. Card.).
Distribution: Mountains of southern California.

Phaca glaberrima (M. E. Jones) Rydberg, sp. now
Astragalus Douglasii glaberrimus M. E. Jones, Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 5: 645. 1895.
Perennial, branched at the base; stems 2-4 dm. high, striate and glabrous; leaves 7-10 cm. long, ascending; stipules deltoid, 3 mm. long; leaflets 11-17, lance-linear, 1.5-2 cm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, tapering at each end, glabrous on both sides, or slightly strigose beneath, the apex almost cuspidate; peduncles about 5 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 2 mm. long; calyx sparingly white-sti igose, the tube 2 mm. long, the teeth lance-subulate, 1.5-2 mm. long; corolla about 8 mm. long, ochroleucous, similar to that of P. Douglasii; pod semi-ovoid, almost stiaight on the upper suture, 3 cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide, glabrous.
Type locality: Los Huevelos, Lower California.
Distribution: Southern California and Lower California.

Phaca megalophysa Rydberg, sp. nov
Perennial, with a cespitose caudex; stems 4—6 dm. high, striate and angled, glabrous or sparingly strigose; leaves ascending, 10-15 cm. long; stipules lance-deltoid, 4-5 mm. long; leaflets 19-29, oblong or elliptic, 1.5-3 cm. long, 5-8 mm. wide, often truncate or retuse at the apex, glabrate or somewhat strigose when young; peduncles 5-10 cm. long, arcuate; racemes 5-S cm. long, 15-20-flowered; bracts lanceolate, 3 mm. long; calyx spaiingly black-hairy, the tube 3 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla ochroleucous, about 1 cm. long, the banner obovate, somewhat reflexed; wings somewhat shorter, the blades oblong, with a rounded basal auricle; keel-petals broadly lunate, acutish; pod ellipsoid, sparingly short-pubescent, 4-6 cm. long, 2.5-3 cm. wide.
Type collected in Swarthout Canyon, San Antonio Mountains, California, H. M. Hall 1531 (Gray Herb.).
Distribution: Southern California.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spread ing or decumbent, 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, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals greenish yellow, Petals orange or yellow, 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 l egume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.

Astragalus douglasii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Douglas's milkvetch. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of desert, valley, chaparral and woodlands, and montane habitats, usually below 8,000 feet (2,400 m) elevation.