Astragalus inyoensis
Encyclopedia
Astragalus inyoensis is a species of milkvetch
known by the common name Inyo milkvetch.
It is native to the Great Basin
desert mountains and flats of western Nevada
, and the White
and Inyo Mountains
of eastern California
.
The inflorescence
produces up to 15 pinkish purple flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hanging legume pod just over a centimeter long which is narrow and curved in shape and leathery in texture.
Astragalus
Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
known by the common name Inyo milkvetch.
It is native to the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
desert mountains and flats of western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and the White
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
and Inyo Mountains
Inyo Mountains
The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west with Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately 70 mi SSE from the southern end of the White Mountains,...
of eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Description
Astragalus inyoensis is a low, mat-forming perennial herb with slender, crooked gray-green stems growing up to 60 centimeters long. The leaves are a few centimeters long and are made up of several oval scoop-shaped leaflets each a few millimeters in length.The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
produces up to 15 pinkish purple flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hanging legume pod just over a centimeter long which is narrow and curved in shape and leathery in texture.