Astragalus claranus

Clara hunt's milkvetch, Clara Hunt's milk-vetch, Clara Hunt's milk-vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Clara hunt's milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges of Sonoma and Napa counties and western Sacramento Valley in Solano County, inhabiting open grassy areas with thin clay soil at elevations of 100 to 200 meters. Flowering from April to May, this delicate plant produces white flowers with bright purple-tipped keel petals in small clusters of 2 to 7 blooms. Growing with slender ascending stems 3 to 12 centimeters tall, the plant has a sparsely leafy structure with fine, short hairs. Its leaves feature 5 to 9 obovate leaflets, each 2 to 10 millimeters long with deeply notched tips, creating a delicate, intricate foliage pattern. The fruit is a distinctive crescent-shaped pod, 17 to 25 millimeters long, with a prominent slightly curved beak that becomes evident after the flowers drop.

Habitat: Open grassy areas, thin clay soil

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 100-200 m

Bioregions: s NCoR (Sonoma, Napa cos.), w ScV (Solano Co.).

California counties: Sonoma, Napa, Shasta

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