Astragalus sikkimensis Benth. ex Bunge

Plants up to 60 cm tall, sparsely covered with wide, dis­tinctly flattened or sometimes bladderlike hairs. Stems as­cending to erect, with ± long internodes, sparsely to loosely covered with appressed, partly bladderlike-globose, white or also black hairs 0.05-0.3 mm or nearly glabrous, in uppermost part of stem densely to more densely hairy, sometimes branched. Leaves 3-7 cm, subsessile or with short petiole; stipules 1.5-4 mm, ± distinctly and sometimes high connate behind stem, sub­glabrous; rachis hairy like stem; leaflets in 5-11 pairs, elliptic to obovate, 3-8 × 1-4 mm, sparsely to loosely covered with appressed white hairs 0.2-0.5 mm abaxially, glabrous adaxially, apex emarginate or more rarely rounded; leaves of lateral branches smaller in all parts. Racemes ovoid, loosely to densely 3-to many flowered, strongly elongated in fruit; peduncle 1-4 cm, loosely to rather densely hairy like stem but mostly with predominantly black hairs; bracts 1.5-3 mm, white or black hairy. Calyx 4.5-6 mm, loosely to rather densely covered with appressed black hairs 0.2-0.3 mm; teeth 0.7-2 mm. Petals pale pinkish to purple; standard elliptic, 8-12 × 4-5 mm; wings 8-10 mm; keel 8-10 mm. Legumes with a stipe 1-2 mm, 5-10 mm, 3-4 mm high and wide, with a straight or bent beak 1-1.5 mm, 1-locular; valves densely covered with appressed to as­cending black hairs up to 0.2 mm, sometimes also with minute bladderlike-globose hairs.