少花棘豆 shao hua ji dou

Oxytropis alpicola Bunge (1874), not Turczaninow (1842); O. friabilis H. Ohba, S. Akiyama & S. K. Wu; O. tschujae Bunge.

Herbs, 3-10 cm tall, caulescent, from a multiheaded cau­dex, with short to elongate subterranean branches. Stipules with an oblong-ovate free part, herbaceous, with appressed sparse white trichomes and black short trichomes when young, adnate to petiole, basal 1/2-2/3 connate. Leaves (1.2-)3-8 cm, (7-)11-19-foliolate; petioles 3-6 mm, with appressed sparse white short trichomes shorter than on rachis; leaflet blades oblong-ovate, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, 3-7 × (1-)1.5-4 mm, both surfaces or only abaxially with appressed sparse white tri­chomes. Racemes compact, (1 or)3-5-flowered; peduncle 0.5-4 cm, as long as to much longer than leaves, with appressed sparse white trichomes; bracts oblong to lanceolate, with rather dense trichomes. Calyx cylindric to campanulate, 6-8.5(-13) mm, with appressed dense black short trichomes, sometimes with white short trichomes intermixed; lobes lanceolate, (1.8-)3-4 mm. Corolla bluish purple; standard 1-1.5(-2.1) cm, lamina or­bicular, apex 2-lobed; wings 1.2-1.3(-1.9) cm, lamina obovate-oblong, apex emarginate; keel (1-)1.5-1.6 cm, beak (0.7-)1-1.5 mm. Legume sessile, oblong-cylindric, ca. 20 × 3-4 mm, 1-locular, with appressed white short trichomes. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. unknown.

Alpine gravelly areas, alpine scrub meadows, valley sides; 4500-5600 m. Gansu, Xinjiang, Xizang [Kazakhstan, Russia].