Astragalus nevinii

San clemente island milkvetch, San Clemente Island Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

San clemente island milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found on San Clemente Island in sandy flats and dunes at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from February to July, this plant produces cream-colored flowers in dense clusters with 15 to 30 reflexed blooms, each with a banner petal 10.6 to 12.7 millimeters long. Growing with ascending, bushy-branched stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms a tangled, woolly appearance with fine, soft, and kinky hairs. Its compound leaves are 2 to 8 centimeters long, composed of 11 to 25 small oblong or obovate leaflets 3 to 12 millimeters long with blunt or notched tips. The distinctive pendulous fruit is 14 to 20 millimeters long, three-sided, and stiff-papery with a slender base.

Habitat: Sandy flats, dunes

Bloom period: Feb-Jul

Elevation: probably < 200 m

Bioregions: ChI (San Clemente Island).

California counties: Los Angeles

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