Astragalus despectus Podlech & L.R.Xu

Plants small, 4-5 cm tall, subacaulescent to shortly caules­cent. Stem 1-3.5 cm, lowest internodes glabrous, next internode densely covered with ascending hairs, upper ones loosely covered with appressed white hairs 0.2-0.3 mm. Leaves 2-2.5 cm; stipules ovate, ca. 5 mm, very shortly adnate to petiole, lower ones and those of leafless stolons high vaginate-connate, upper ones free from each other, sparsely white or black hairy; petiole up to 0.5 cm, like rachis loosely to rather densely covered with appressed white hairs 0.1-0.2 mm, with black hairs mixed in; leaflets in 5-8 pairs, narrowly elliptic, 3-7 × 1.5-3 mm, abaxially loosely covered with appressed white hairs 0.1-0.3 mm, adaxially glabrous, apex obtuse. Racemes globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., densely ca. 20-flowered; peduncle 1.5-2 cm, loosely to rather densely covered with subappressed white hairs 0.1-0.2 mm, with some longer, mostly black hairs up to 0.5 mm mixed in; bracts whitish membranous, 1.5-3 mm, sparsely black hairy. Calyx ca. 3 mm, densely covered with ascending to spreading, tangled, predominantly black hairs 0.4-0.6 mm; teeth 1-1.5 mm. Petals mauve; standard suborbicular, ca. 5.5 × 3.5 mm; wings ca. 4 mm, limbs obtriangular, widest below widely truncate tip; keel ca. 4 mm. Ovary sessile, glo­bose, glabrous. Legumes unknown.