Astragalus accidens var. hendersonii

Henderson's milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Henderson's milkvetch is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and California Cascade Range in shrubland, open woodland, and roadside areas at elevations below 1,250 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white flowers with a banner 13.8 to 19.3 millimeters long that is recurved at approximately 45 degrees. Growing with somewhat bushy, ascending stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall, it has a distinctive appearance with sparse, minute, curved hairs. Its compound leaves are 3 to 12 centimeters long, featuring 15 to 29 oblong leaflets 6 to 22 millimeters in length, with tips typically notched. The fruit is a distinctive pendent, plump pod 16 to 25 millimeters long, drying to a leathery or woody texture with a sharp beak.

Habitat: shrubland, open woodland, roadbanks

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1250 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRF

California counties: Orange, Siskiyou, Lassen, Alpine, Tehama, Mono, Trinity, El Dorado

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.