Astragalus serenoi var. shockleyi

Shockley's milkvetch, Shockley's Milkvetch

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Shockley's milkvetch is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the northern Desert Mountains of Inyo County in open, dry, alkaline sagebrush and pinyon habitats at elevations of 1,150 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces purple flowers with pale wing tips, the banner petal curved back at 35 to 40 degrees, creating a distinctive arc. Growing as a bushy-clumped herb with stems 15 to 45 centimeters tall and often appearing grayish, it develops a compact, spreading form. Its leaves are 5 to 15 centimeters long with 5 to 11 narrow leaflets spaced along the stem, each leaflet 5 to 30 millimeters long and more densely hairy on the upper surface. The plant produces erect, plump-oblong fruits 17 to 31 millimeters long with a stout, sharp beak.

Habitat: Open, dry, alkaline gravelly clay, generally sagebrush, pinyon

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1150-2300 m

Bioregions: SNE, n DMtns (Inyo Co.)

California counties: Inyo, Mono

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