Astragalus brauntonii

Braunton's milkvetch, Braunton's milk-vetch, Braunton's milk-vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Braunton's milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in western Transverse Ranges, southern Gabilan Ranges, and northern Peninsular Ranges in disturbed chaparral areas at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces dull lilac flowers in dense spike-like clusters with 35 to 60 overlapping, reflexed blooms. Growing with stout, hollow stems 70 to 150 centimeters tall and dense, tangled white hairs, it develops a coarse, upright habit. Its compound leaves feature 25 to 33 leaflets, each 3 to 20 millimeters long and somewhat obovate with acute to obtuse tips. The distinctive fruit is reflexed, partially enclosed in the calyx, with dense wavy hairs and a bluntly three-angled shape measuring 6.5 to 9 millimeters long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas in chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 650 m

Bioregions: w WTR, SnGb, SnGb/SCo?, n PR.

California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Alameda

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