Astragalus preussii var. laxiflorus

Lancaster milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Lancaster milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in southwestern Mojave Desert and western Colorado Desert, specifically in the Coachella Valley, on alkaline flats at elevations of 700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white to cream-colored flowers in loose clusters. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms a delicate, spreading herbaceous habit. Its pinnately compound leaves have 11 to 21 narrow, elongated leaflets that are light green and approximately 5 to 15 millimeters long. The fruit is a small, inflated pod characteristic of milkvetches, adapted to its arid, alkaline habitat.

Habitat: Alkaline flats

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 700 m

Bioregions: sw DMoj, w DSon (Coachella Valley)

California counties: Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside

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