Astragalus lemmonii

Lemmon's milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Lemmon's milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Great Basin and adjacent eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist, alkaline meadows and lake shores at elevations of 1,300 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white to dull lilac flowers with a recurved banner petal 4.8 to 6.1 millimeters long. Growing with prostrate, slender stems 10 to 40 centimeters long that are sparsely strigose and widely branched, it spreads openly across meadow surfaces. Its compound leaves feature 7 to 15 narrow, elliptic leaflets 2 to 11 millimeters long with acute tips. The fruit is a papery, three-sided elliptic pod 4 to 7 millimeters long that spreads slightly from the plant.

Habitat: Moist, alkaline meadows, lake shores

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1300-2900 m

Bioregions: GB (lower in MP), adjacent edge c SNH

California counties: Lassen, Mono, Sierra, Tehama, Plumas, Modoc, Shasta

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