Spongiocarpella Yakovlev & N. Ulziykhutag.

Plants perennial. Root stout, woody. Stem lignified, short. Leaves imparipinnate, rarely 3-foliolate; stipules herbaceous, adnate to petiole; leaflets entire. Flowers solitary, axillary, rarely 1-4 in a raceme; peduncle with nodes bearing 1 bract. Calyx with 2 bracts at base; tube tubular, gibbous on one side at base, 5-lobed; 2 upper lobes connate, 3 lower lobes free, with brown glands at apex. Corolla yellow or purple; standard suborbicular or oblong, abaxially with dense short appressed hairs, ± longer than wings or keel. Stamens diadelphous; anthers uniform. Ovary sessile; stigma capitate, papillary. Legume oblong to linear, 1-loculed. Seeds reniform. Basic chromosome number x = 8.

Chesneya dshungarica Goloskokov (Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R. 18: 117. 1957) was recorded from Xinjiang by Chang Y. Yang (Claves Pl. Xinjiang. 3: 72. 1985). However, the present authors found no relevant specimens and therefore could not substantiate the occurrence of this species in China.

About 21 species: C and SW Asia, Mediterranean region; seven species (two endemic) in China.

(Authors: Zhu Xiangyun (朱相云); Kai Larsen)