Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus

Ventura marsh milkvetch, Ventura Marsh Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Ventura marsh milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in central Southern California coastal areas in disturbed sandy or gravelly open habitats at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces white or cream flowers in dense clusters, entirely covered in soft white woolly hairs. Growing with low-spreading stems typically 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms compact cushion-like clumps with a distinctive woolly appearance. Its pinnately compound leaves have multiple small leaflets densely covered in white woolly indumentum, giving the entire plant a silvery-white aesthetic. The fruit is a sparsely strigose pod containing 8 to 12 ovules, reflecting the plant's adaptation to harsh coastal environments.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, open, sand to gravel

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: c SCo.

California counties: Marin, Los Angeles, Ventura

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