Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae

Coachella valley milkvetch, Coachella Valley Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2 · Endangered

Coachella valley milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Coachella Valley in sandy habitats at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces pink-purple flowers in clusters with 11 to 25 blossoms, the banner measuring 12.7 to 14.5 millimeters long. Growing in clumped, ascending stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall and densely covered in silvery hairs, it forms compact clusters. Its compound leaves are 5 to 11.5 centimeters long, featuring 7 to 21 widely ovate leaflets each 5 to 17 millimeters in size. The fruit is a distinctive, greatly inflated pod 16 to 21 millimeters long, covered in stiff grayish hairs and terminating in a short 3.5 to 6 millimeter beak.

Habitat: Sand

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: < 650 m

Bioregions: DSon (Coachella Valley).

California counties: Riverside

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