Astragalus rattanii
This hairy annual herb native to northern California's North Coast Ranges has stems up to 30 cm, leaves with a few oval leaflets, a head of 2–10 pinkish-purple flowers with paler tips, and a cylindrical legume pod up to 6 cm long with a sharp beak.
Common Names
Rattan's Milkvetch, Jepson's Milkvetch
Summary
Rattan's milkvetch is a hairy annual herb in the Fabaceae with thin stems up to 30 cm long, leaves a few centimeters long composed of a few oval leaflets, and an inflorescence that forms a head of 2–10 flowers pinkish purple with paler tips; the fruit is a cylindrical legume pod up to 6 cm long with a sharp, pointed beak, native to northern California in the North Coast Ranges and occurring in coastal habitats.
As an annual, it completes its life cycle within a year. Its northern California coastal origin and temperate biome suggest adaptation to cool-season conditions. The available characteristics describe the plant's morphology and distribution without detailing cultivation requirements or uses.
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
12 inches
Bloom Color
Pinkish purple
Bloom Time
Spring
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Fall
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- A.Gray
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 75 (1883)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fabales
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Subfamily
- Papilionoideae
- Genus
- Astragalus
Inferior Taxa
Astragalus rattanii var. jepsonianus Astragalus rattanii var. rattanii