Palmer's Milkvetch

Phaca palmeri (A. Gray) Rydberg
Astragalus Palmeri A. Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 7: 398. 1868.
Stem about 5 dm. high, sparingly strigose; leaves ascending, about 1 dm. long; stipules deltoid, 2-3 mm. long; leaflets 17-27, oblong, 1-2 cm. long, 4—6 mm. wide, spaiingly strigose when young, glabrate at lea?t above in age, obtus ; peduncles about 1 dm. long, striate; racemes lax, about as long; bracts lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm. long; cab's strigose, the tube 2.5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, nearly 2 mm. long; corolla bluish-purple, resembling that of P. Vaseyi; pod erect, strigose, obliquely ov?tc in outline, 1.5 cm. long, 8 mm. wide, somewhat compressed, acute and straight on the upper suture.
Type locality: Camp Grant, southern Arizona.
Distribution: Southern Arizona.

Phaca vaseyi (S. Wats.) Rydberg
Astragalus Vaseyi S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 17: 370. 1882.
Annual or biennial; stem 2-4, rarely 5-6 dm. high, striate, stiigose-canescent, branched; leaves 5-10 cm. long, the rachis strigose; stipules distinct, triangular, 3 mm. long; leaflets 13-21, oblong to elliptic, 5-15 mm. long, 2-6 mm. wide, silky-strigose on both sides, often silverywhite; peduncles 6—10 cm. long, silky-strigost ; racemes including the peduncle 5-20 cm. long, many -flowered ; calyx silvery-strigose, the tube fully 3 mm. long, the lobes subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla purplish, 10-12 mm. long; banner obovate, retuse; wings shortei, the blade oblong, longer than the claw, with a large basal auricle; keel-petals rounded at the apex; legume sessile, strigose, 15-18 mm. long, 6-7 mm. wide, gibbous on the lower suture, acute and nearly straight on the upper.
Type locality: Mountain Springs. San Diego County. California. Distribution: Southern California, northwestern Sonora, and Lower California.

Phaca metana (M. EJones) Rydberg
Aslraglus metanus M. E. Jones, Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 5: 666. 1895.
Perennial; stem decumbent at the base, 3-6 dm. high, more or less canescent-strigose, striate; leaves 10-15 cm. long, ascending; stipules deltoid, 4-5 mm. long, canescent; leaflets 15-21, oblong to oval, 1-4 cm. long, 4-8 mm. wide, densely canescent-strigose when young, greener in age, mostly rounded at the apex; peduncles 1 dm. long or more: racemes elongate, about as long, many-floweied; bracts lanceolate, 3-4 cm. long, more or less black-hairy; pedicels short; calyx black-hairy, the tube 3 mm. long, the teeth subulate, nearly 2 mm. long, corolla dark-purplish-blue, 810 mm. long; banner obovate, porrect; wings somewhat shorter; the blade oblong, with a large basal auiicle; blade of the keel-petals broadly lunate, obtuse; pod obliquely ovoid, turgid, finely strigose, 1-1.5 cm. long and 8-10 cm. wide, the upper suture straight and acute.
Type locality: Hanson's Ranch. Lower California, near the border. Distribution: Southern California and northern Lower California.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems or branches arching, spreading 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, Lea ves 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 hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, 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 exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.