Astragalus tmoleus
Astragalus tmoleus
Bozdağ geveni
Lax cushion-forming shrub, 15-30 cm. Leaf rachis spiny, 2-5 cm, straight or slightly incurved. Leaflets 4-8 mm, elliptic to orbicular, spine-tipped, densely adpressed simple-pilose- tomentellous, 3-6-paired. Stipules c. 10 mm, ovate-lanceolate, tomentellous. Flowers sessile, 2-3 per leaf axil. Inflorescence globose to elongate-cylindrical, 2,5-3 cm diam., 20-40-flowered. Bracts linear to ± orbicular, navicular, sometimes two-lobed, tomentellous towards the apex. Bracteoles 8-12 mm, linear, densely white-pilose, resembling the calyx lobes. Calyx 10-15 mm, densely white-pilose to villous; lobes divided to the base though apparently forming a 2-4 mm tube. Corolla rose; standard 15-18 mm. Style hairy. Fl. 6-7. Screes, etc., 800-2000 m.
1. Bracts linear, entire ..............................................................................var. tmoleus
1. Bracts ovate-lanceolate to orbicular, sometimes bilobed ..........................var. bounacanthus
The species is endemic to Turkey. Allied to A. trojanus. A variable species, both in the form of the inflorescence and in the bracts. We consider that it is unjustified to maintain two species only on bract characters, and have consequently reduced A. baunacanthus to a variety of A. tmoleus.
