Perennial herbs or cushionlike shrublets, caulescent or acaulescent, with glandular trichomes, glands, or scalelike or slender basifixed trichomes. Stipules conspicuous, membranous, papery, leathery, scarious, herbaceous, or leaflike, usually persistent, free or adnate to petiole, distinct or connate. Leaves usually imparipinnate, rarely appearing paripinnate by apical leaflet reduced to a spine (Oxytropis aciphylla, O. hystrix, and O. tragacanthoides), rarely 1-foliolate (O. monophylla and O. neimonggolica); leaflets alternate, opposite, subopposite, verticillate, or subverticillate; leaflet blades various in shape, base ± oblique. Inflorescences racemes, spicate or capitate, dense or lax, with 1 to many flowers; bracts usually triangular or lanceolate-triangular. Bracteoles absent or sometimes narrowly triangular. Calyx campanulate, tubular-campanulate, or tubular, with 5 subequal lobes. Corolla various in color, petals clawed; standard various in shape, apex rounded, emarginate, or 2-lobed; wings variously shaped, apex rounded or emarginate; keel variously shaped, apex beaked with vascular bundles reaching beak apex. Stamens diadelphous with 9 connate filaments and 1 ± distinct filament. Ovary sessile or stipitate, glabrous or pubescent. Legume sessile or stipitate, membranous or leathery, enveloped by calyx or exserted from calyx, usually 1-locular or ± 2-locular, septum absent, narrow, or wide.
Home