| Fabaceae |
|---|
Astragalus bicolor LAM. |
Astragalus bicolor LAM. |
Astragalus bicolor LAM. |
 Astragalus bicolor LAM |
Astragalus L. |
| . A. bicolor Lam., Encycl. 1:317 (1783). Scapose, perennial herb with a branched, woody caudex. Leaves 3-12 cm; leaflets 5-8 mm, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, bifurcate-sericeous, 8-15-paired; stipules c. 6 mm, ovate, free from the petioles. Peduncles 5-22 cm. Inflorescence 2-3 x c. 2 cm, a dense globose to ovoid, 15-25-flowered spike, usually elongating slightly in fruit. Lower bracts 7-10 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate. Calyx 6-8 mm, tubular-campanulate. white simple-strigillose with short black bifurcate hairs; teeth 3-5 mm, linear. Corolla white fading to pink, lavender or violet; standard 14-22 mm. lamina linear-oblong. Legume c. 10 x 4 mm. ovoid, white simple-strigillose with short black adpressed bifurcate hairs; beak c. 2 mm, curved. Fl. 5-7. Edges of fields, mountain slopes, 1530-3050 m. Type: [Turkish] "Armenia", Tournefort (iso. BM!). N.E. & E. Anatolia. A8 Erzurum: 5 km from Erzurum to Ispir. 1900 m, Hub.-Mor. 16135! A9 Kars: Kars to Selim, 1800 m, D. 30657! B8 Erzurum: 10 km W of Erzurum. 1840 m. M. Zolıary & Plitmann 2661-16! B9 Bitlis: Pelli Da., above Pelli, 3050 m. D. 22484! Van: 7 km from Van to Erçek, 1850 m, D. 44391! Ağri:Suluçem (Musun) to Balık G., 2150 m, D. 47250! B10 Ağri: 3-4 km E of Doğu-bayazit, D. 43959! Endemic: Ir.-Tur. element. A variable species requiring further study. The distinctions between A. bicolor and A. owerinii Bunge, a Caucasian species, are slight; the differences mentioned by both Boissier and Komarov are not consistently correlated and do not seem to apply to Turkish material. In the absence of type material of A. owerinii, we hesitate to refer any of the Turkish material to it. |