弯弓黄耆 wan gong huang qi

Plants 5-15 cm tall, subshrubby, loosely caespitose. Stems of current year 1-7(-10) cm, very densely covered with sym­metrically to slightly asymmetrically bifurcate, subappressed to ascending or partly spreading, tangled, white hairs 0.8-1 mm. Leaves 1.5-2.5 cm; stipules 2-3 mm, rather densely covered with subappressed to ascending hairs, at margins also with basifixed hairs; petiole 0.5-1 cm, with slender rachis rather densely hairy like stem; leaflets in 2 or 3(or 4) pairs, 5-10 × 1.5-3 mm, abaxially somewhat densely and adaxially sparsely to loosely covered with ± medifixed, ascending to spreading hairs up to 1 mm. Racemes 2-3 cm, 2-5(-7)-flowered; pedun­cle 1-3 cm, densely covered with symmetrically or asymmetri­cally bifurcate, spreading hairs up to 0.5 mm; bracts 1.5-2 mm, sparsely white and predominantly black hairy. Calyx 9-11 mm, densely covered with symmetrically or asymmetrically bifur­cate, ascending to partly spreading, white hairs 0.8-1 mm and especially at dorsal side with ± medifixed, appressed, distinctly shorter, black hairs; teeth 1-1.5 mm. Petals violet; standard obovate, 18-25 × 7-9 mm, apex emarginate; wings 17-22 mm; keel 16-19 mm. Legumes slightly curved, 10-17 mm, 3.5-4 mm high and 2-2.5 mm wide, apex shortly acuminate; valves densely covered with strongly asymmetrically bifurcate to basi­fixed, ± spreading, white hairs 1.5-2 mm.

Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Russia (European part)].

The Chinese record of Astragalus subarcuatus Popov (FRPS 42(1): 278. 1993) is referable to A. arcuatus.