Astragalus oocarpus

San diego milkvetch, San Diego Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

San diego milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in central San Diego County in chaparral and oak woodland openings at elevations of 400 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces cream-colored flowers in clusters with 20 to 75 widely ascending blossoms, featuring a banner petal that recurves 70 to 90 degrees. Growing with stout, hollow stems 6 to 13 decimeters tall that are widely ascending to erect, it develops a robust leafy structure. Its compound leaves contain 17 to 35 widely lanceolate leaflets, each 6 to 33 millimeters long, with prominently raised midveins and glabrous surfaces except for sparsely strigose margins. The fruit is distinctive, forming an erect, greatly inflated pod 15 to 25 millimeters long with a stiff-papery texture.

Habitat: Openings in chaparral, oak woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 400-1700 m

Bioregions: PR (c San Diego Co.).

California counties: San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Riverside, Inyo

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