Astragalus andersonii
Anderson's milkvetch
Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Anderson's milkvetch is a California native perennial herb found in the northern eastern Sierra Nevada and adjacent Modoc Plateau in generally disturbed flats and slopes at elevations of 1,300 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white flowers tinged with dull purple, with petals 9.5 to 14.5 millimeters long and a distinctive banner recurved at approximately 45 degrees. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 7 to 20 centimeters tall, it forms a loose-tufted habit with spreading or ascending wavy hairs that are grayish white. Its leaves are 2 to 10 centimeters long, composed of 9 to 21 elliptic to oblanceolate leaflets, each 3 to 14 millimeters long. The fruit is a spreading or pendent pod 10 to 18 millimeters long, widely oblong and long-wavy-hairy with a distinctly thick upper suture.
Habitat: Generally disturbed flats, slopes
Bloom period: Apr-Jul
Elevation: 1300-2450 m
Bioregions: MP, n&e-c SNE (adjacent CA-FP)
California counties: Lassen, Sierra, Alpine, Inyo, Mono, Modoc, Placer
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.