Astragalus mohavensis
Encyclopedia
Astragalus mohavensis is a species of milkvetch
known by the common name Mojave milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert
of California
and Nevada
.
bears up to 15 pinkish-purple flowers, each around a centimeter in length. The fruit is a hairy, leathery legume pod up to about 3 centimeters long.
from the California side of the desert; it can be distinguished from the more common variety by its curved or coiled seed pods.
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 Mojave milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of 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...
and 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...
.
Description
This is an annual or perennial herb forming clumpy gray-green patches of upright stems up to 35 centimeters long. Leaves are up to about 12 centimeters long and are made up of many oval-shaped to rounded leaflets. The inflorescenceInflorescence
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...
bears up to 15 pinkish-purple flowers, each around a centimeter in length. The fruit is a hairy, leathery legume pod up to about 3 centimeters long.
Varieties
There are two varieties of this plant. The rare variety A. m. var. hemigyrus, the halfring milkvetch, can be found only in Nevada, having been extirpatedLocal extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from the California side of the desert; it can be distinguished from the more common variety by its curved or coiled seed pods.