Painted Desert Milkvetch

Cnemidophacos sophoroides (M. E. Jones) Rydberg
Astragalus sophoroides M. E. Jones, Zoe 2: 12. 1891.
A perennial, with a woody root and short cespitose caudex; stems erect, 1-3 dm. high, densely strigose-canescent; leaves 5-10 cm. long, ascending, the rachis canescent; stipules deltoid, acuminate, connate, 3-5 mm. long; leaflets 9-15, elliptic or oblong, 4-15 mm. long, white-canescent on both sides, obtuse at the apex; peduncles 1-5 cm. long; racemes 2-4 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 4 mm. long; pedicels very short; calyx white-silky, the tube 3 mm. long and broad, the teeth subulate, 3 mm. long; corolla cream-colored, 8-9 mm. long; banner obovate, slightly arcuate; wings nearly as long, the blades obliquely obovate; keel-petals shorter, the blade semicircular; pod white-strigose, about 8 mm. long, 3.5 mm. thick, and 2.5 mm. wide, acute on the dorsal suture, oval in cross-section.
Type locality: Willow Springs on the Moencoppa, northern Arizona. Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, 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, Stems with 2-branched hairs, dolabriform, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules connate to each other, forming a tuber or sheath, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10- many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences spikes or spike-like, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals pinkish to rose, 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 freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit enclosed in calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.