Astragalus melanostachys Benth. ex Bunge

Plants (5-)10-30 cm tall. Stems several to numerous, gla­brous or more rarely sparsely covered with appressed white hairs 0.2-0.3 mm. Leaves (2-)3-7 cm; stipules 2-6(-8) mm, shortly to ± high vaginate-connate behind stem, sparsely black and white ciliate or toward apex also with appressed hairs; peti­ole ± as long as rachis or shorter, like rachis sparsely covered with ascending black and white or only white hairs 0.3-0.8 mm; leaflets in 5-7(-9) pairs, triangular-obovate to more rarely orbicular-cordate or narrowly obovate, 3-10(-14) × (1-)1.5-6(-8) mm, abaxially sparsely to loosely appressed hairy, espe­cially at midvein and margins, sometimes nearly glabrous, adaxially glabrous, apex retuse to distinctly emarginate or more rarely rounded, mostly minutely mucronulate. Racemes 1-3 cm, densely many flowered; peduncle 6-16(-20) cm, loosely covered with appressed white and black hairs, toward raceme increasingly with black hairs up to 1.2 mm, more rarely only sparsely hairy or nearly only with white hairs; bracts 3-5(-8) mm, black hairy. Bracteoles sometimes present, 1-1.5 mm. Calyx 4-6 mm, rather densely covered with spreading, curly, predominantly black hairs up to 1 mm, more rarely only with white hairs; teeth 2-3 mm. Petals pink-red to red, fading violet; standard rhombic-elliptic, (5-)6-7(-8.5) × 2.5-3.2 mm, apex emarginate; wings (4.5-)5.5-6.5(-7) mm; keel (4-)4.5-5.5(-7) mm. Legumes ovoid, 4-6 mm, 2-3 mm high and 1.5-2 mm wide, keeled ventrally, ± deeply grooved dorsally, distinctly beaked, 1-locular; valves covered rather densely with ascending black hairs, rarely hairs white. Seeds 2.