Astragalus mohavensis var. hemigyrus

Curved-pod milkvetch, Curved-Pod Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Curved-pod milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in the Mojave Desert bioregion on limestone hillsides at elevations of 350 to 2,750 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white to cream-colored flowers in compact clusters characteristic of milkvetch species. Growing with slender, spreading stems 15 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms low, sprawling clumps across rocky limestone terrain. Its pinnately compound leaves have 11 to 21 leaflets, each approximately 5 to 10 millimeters long, with a distinctive curved or hooked pod shape that gives the variety its name. The plant is notably restricted to limestone habitats in southern Nevada's Clark County and California's Mojave Desert region.

Habitat: Limestone hillsides,

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 350-2750 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: Inyo, 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.