Astragalus tidestromii
Encyclopedia
Astragalus tidestromii is a species of milkvetch
known by the common name Tidestrøm's milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert
of California
and Nevada
, where it grows in limestone
gravel soils. The plant is named for the botanist Ivar Frederick Tidestrøm.
is an open cluster of flowers of light to deep purple, tipped with darker purple.
The fruit is a flattened legume pod which has a drastic curved shape, sometimes curving into a complete ring. It is leathery and hairy in texture and may reach 5.5 centimeters in length.
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 Tidestrøm's 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...
, where it grows in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
gravel soils. The plant is named for the botanist Ivar Frederick Tidestrøm.
Description
This is a tuft or clump forming perennial herb with absent or very short stems. The leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and made up of oval-shaped to rounded leaflets. The herbage is coated in a shaggy layer of hairs. 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...
is an open cluster of flowers of light to deep purple, tipped with darker purple.
The fruit is a flattened legume pod which has a drastic curved shape, sometimes curving into a complete ring. It is leathery and hairy in texture and may reach 5.5 centimeters in length.