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Astragalus vesicarius L.

Flora Europaea the original Linnean specimen is missing from the Linnean collections xeric to mesoxeric western Eurasian continental perennial, H, 2n=16, 32, diploid, tetraploid Agropyro-Kochion, Festucion valesiacae R34 habitats         A xeric to mesoxeric species which is common only in south-western Transylvania in Romania. In Moldavia and Dobrudja the species is replaced by populations with ochroleucous flowers, usually treated (provisionally) as Astragalus vesicarius L. ssp. pseudoglaucus (Klokov) Ciocarlan by the Romanian authors. Pictures taken on 27th of May 2006 east of Campenesti and above the Cluj-Napoca - Dej highway, Cluj county in a Black Pine plantation. dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com Picturea taken near Hoparta, Alba county, on 29th of May 2006. The first two images represent an individual with ochroleucous flowers which was found in a normal population. The last image is a comparison between Astragalus vesicarius (left) and Astragalus onobrychis (right). dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com Pictures taken from outside Romania, in Ukraine in May 2009. These images show that indeed, as asserted in Flora USSR  the typical Astragalus vesicarius L. is not completely replaced in the Pontic steppes by A. vesicarius L. ssp. pseudoglaucus (Klokov ) Ciocarland and other taxa. Bartha Laszlo, PhD student, bartha19@yahoo.com \