Authors: Phil.  

Botanical Description

Much branched dwarf shrub forming compressed mats 30-100cm across and 5-30cm high. It is characterised by simple or two to three-twinned prominent ivory-yellow spines and dense shining silver-silky adpressed indumentum on foliage and young stems. Leaves on a 1cm long petiole. Leaflets four to seven, close-set, obovate to elliptic, 4-8mm long. They are borne along the upper stem region and at the base of the spines only. Flowers in small clustered racemes on terminal spines, 9-10mm long on pedicels 1-1.5cm in length, yellow, very strongly pencilled red, summer in the wild. Lomenta very distinctive with three to four segments hidden by long plumed white hairs. Argentina and Chile, from the central cordilleras and Patagonia in arid alpine and desert steppe communities, often in association with Stipa (bunch grass), at 250-2400m.