Family |
Fabaceae
Astragalus gummifer
Labill.
Astragalus gummifer Labill.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CXXXV nº 2; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Branched subshrub from the base, 20–60 cm tall. Older stems bare, glabrescent, with brown bark and persistent spiny petiole bases; young stems enveloped by such pale, spiny petioles.
Leaves: On flowering stems, petioles glabrous, straw-colored, ending in a strong spine, with only 4–6 pairs of folded, green, glabrous or glabrescent leaflets (3–4 mm), very shortly petiolulate and caducous.
Inflorescence & flowers: Small, capituliform racemes of 2–3 flowers at the axils of leaves enveloped by stipules. Bracts broadly ovate to orbicular-navicular, hyaline, oblique at the tip, longer than the calyx tube.
Calyx: Densely hairy, with a very thick indumentum; teeth shorter than the tube.
Corolla: Pale yellowish-white; standard blade retuse, slightly shorter than the claw.
Fruit: Not described.
Phenology: Flowers from May to August.
Habitat & elevation: Mountainous areas, rocky slopes.
Lebanese distribution: Mi. Boqaïta, E. of Douma; Mm. Jabal Barouk, Jabal Kneissé, between Sannine and Kneissé, Dimane, Ehden, Jabal Qamou‘a, Cedars of Bsharré; Herm. Hermon.
Native range: Southern Turkey, Syria, Iraq