Astragalus insularis var. harwoodii

Harwood's milkvetch, Harwood's Milkvetch, Harwood's milk-vetch, Harwood's milk-vetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Harwood's milkvetch is a rare California native annual found in the southern desert region in sandy or gravelly areas at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces pink-violet flowers with a distinctively recurved banner petal that curves 50 to 60 degrees. Growing with decumbent to ascending slender stems 5 to 40 centimeters tall, it appears grayish due to strigose hairs covering its surface. Its compound leaves span 2 to 12 centimeters long and feature 11 to 19 narrowly elliptic leaflets, typically with slightly notched tips. The fruit is a distinctive bladdery, papery pod 15 to 24 millimeters long with a conspicuous beak, spreading or slightly reflexed.

Habitat: Sandy or gravelly areas

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, San Bernardino

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