Astragalus nuttallii
Nuttall's milkvetch, Nuttall's Milkvetch
(c) danielle peña, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Astragalus nuttallii (Nuttall's milkvetch) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family.
Nuttall's milkvetch is a California native perennial herb found in dense tangles with prostrate to erect stems. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces cream to lavender-tinged flowers in dense clusters with 20 to 125 individual blooms, each with a banner petal 10 to 15 millimeters long. Growing 20 to 100 centimeters tall with fine, incurved-ascending hairs, it forms robust and leafy clumps. Its compound leaves feature 21 to 43 crowded leaflets, each approximately 3 to 25 millimeters long and slightly obovate or oblong with notched tips. The distinctive fruit is a papery, bladdery pod 20 to 60 millimeters long, containing 14 to 38 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - 0 sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Humboldt, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Mateo, Ventura, Marin, Riverside, Stanislaus
How to tell it apart
vs Vicia: Astragalus has racemes of flowers; vetches (Vicia) have tendrils at leaf tips and climbing or sprawling habit.; vs Oxytropis: Astragalus keel tip is rounded to slightly pointed; Oxytropis keel has a pronounced pointed beak.; vs Cleomella: Astragalus has pea-shaped flowers; Cleomella has 4-petaled cruciform flowers with long stamens.; vs Lupinus: Astragalus has pinnate compound leaves; lupines have palmate leaves (leaflets radiating from one point).; vs Dalea: Astragalus has typical pea flowers; Dalea has tiny flowers with petals attached to the stamen tube.
Frequently asked questions
Is Astragalus nuttallii native to California?
Yes. Astragalus nuttallii is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Astragalus nuttallii grow?
Astragalus nuttallii occurs in Humboldt, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Mateo, Ventura, Marin and other counties.
What plant family does Astragalus nuttallii belong to?
Astragalus nuttallii is in the Fabaceae family, genus Astragalus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.