Astragalus bicristatus

Crested milkvetch, crested milk-vetch, crested milk-vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Crested milkvetch is a California native perennial ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in southwestern California's coastal mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges in open, rocky pine forest areas at elevations of 1,700 to 2,750 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces predominantly white flowers in clusters of 5 to 20 with banner petals 15 to 19 millimeters long, distinctively recurved at about 50 degrees. Growing with ascending or sprawling stems less than 50 centimeters tall and often appearing grayish from fine strigose hairs, it forms a sparsely leafy habit. Its compound leaves feature 11 to 23 linear to narrowly oblong leaflets, each 5 to 20 millimeters long with generally obtuse or notched tips. The distinctive fruit is pendulous, 20 to 43 millimeters long, with a stout downcurved base and a prominently flanged, stiffly leathery structure.

Habitat: Open, rocky areas in pine forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1700-2750 m

Bioregions: SCo (w Riverside, San Bernardino cos.), SnGb, SnBr, PR.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura

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