Root woody, aerial stem almost absent. Leaf imparipinnately compound; petiole c. 2.5-10 cm long, glabrous, rachis c. 7.5-15.0 cm long, glabrous; leaflets 31-51, c. 8-18 mm long, oblong, obtuse, glabrous to subglabrous; stipules c. 1.2-1.8 cm long. Inflorescence sessile or short-peduncled. Bracts longer than pedicels. Pedicel c. 6-10 mm long. Calyx c. 1.5-1.6 cm long, teeth c. 3.5-4 mm long. Vexillum c. 2.3-2.5 cm long. Wing shorter than the vexillum. Keel shorter than the wing. Fruit subsessile, c. 1.2-2.0 cm long, glabrous, bilocular, 15-20-seeded.

Fl.Per.: June July.

Lectotype: Nako in Hungarung, Royle (LIV).

Distribution: Kashmir; India, N. Punjab; W. Tibet.

Deml (in Boissiera 21:9.1972) recognises Astragalus confertissimus Kitamura for Pakistan also. I have seen 3 out of 4 specimens cited from Pakistan for this species. None of these are Astragalus confertissimus Kitamura. In Astragalus confertissimus Kitamura the ovary and fruit are pilose; in these specimens (Lyon 685 (E, BM); Lyon 837 (E, BM) and Stainton 2472 (BM,G) the leaf is imparipinnate so I have placed these in Astragalus webbianus Grab. ex Benth. (Sect. Myobroma).