Astragalus sphaerocystis Bunge

Plants 6-18 cm tall, acaulescent, loosely caespitose, vege­tative parts with mostly ± medifixed, appressed to subappressed hairs 0.8-1 mm. Leaves 2.5-10 cm; stipules 4-7 mm, adnate to petiole for ca. 2 mm, sometimes before petiole higher up shortly connate, connate behind stem up to 3/4 of length, densely covered with subappressed white hairs, at margins with basifixed or subbasifixed hairs; petiole 0.7-3.5 cm, like rachis densely hairy; leaflets in 3-6 pairs, 5-12 × 2-5(-7) mm, both surfaces very densely hairy. Racemes subspherical to ovoid, densely many flowered, 2.5-4(-8) cm; peduncle 4-12 cm, loosely to rather densely covered with subappressed white hairs, toward raceme also with black hairs; bracts 3-5 mm, covered with strongly asymmetrically bifurcate and especially at margins basifixed white and black hairs. Calyx at anthesis tubular, 10-11 mm, rather densely covered with subappressed, strongly asymmetrically bifurcate, white hairs up to 1.5 mm and with distinctly shorter, ± medifixed, black hairs; teeth 1.5-2(-2.5) mm; fruiting calyx slightly elongated, bladderlike in­flated ovoid, loosely hairy. Petals pale yellowish to whitish; standard oblong-elliptic, 17-18 × 5-6 mm, slightly constricted in lower 1/3, apex emarginate; wings 16-17 mm, limbs nar­rowly oblong, obliquely emarginate; keel 13-14 mm. Legumes included in calyx, subsessile, 5-10 mm, ca. 3 mm high, com­pressed laterally, with a short beak, nearly fully 2-locular; valves rather densely hairy, hairs subappressed to ascending, tangled, white, sometimes also some black, up to 1.5 mm.