Astragalus clevelandii
Perennial legume native to California with a bushy habit and a spike of white pea-like flowers, historically placed in an alternate genus with a synonym in Hamosa and described in 1882, and listed as G4 S4 in the California Rare Plant Inventory.
Common Names
Cleveland's Milkvetch
Summary
Cleveland's milkvetch is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae native to California, forming bushy clumps 30–100 cm tall. Leaves up to 14 cm long with many oval leaflets are mostly hairless, undersides may bear rough hairs; an inflorescence is a spike of up to 100 small pea-like flowers, white or off-white, each under 1 cm, and the fruit is a legume pod under 1 cm that dries to a thick papery texture; blooming occurs June–September. It grows in seeps and wetlands, usually in Foothill Woodland and Chaparral, and on serpentine soils, reflecting ultramafic affinity as a strict endemic.
As a California-endemic with ultramafic affinity, it occupies seeps and wetlands and can occur in non-wetlands; toxicity: Do not eat any part of the plant. California Rare Plant Rank 4.3 (limited distribution) and about 204 recorded occurrences across the state.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-3.5 feet
Soil Type
Serpentine soils
Soil Drainage
Wet soils (wetlands)
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer (June–September)
Foliage Color
Green
Growth Rate
Not specified
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Greene
- Publication
- Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 9: 121 (1882)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fabales
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Subfamily
- Papilionoideae
- Genus
- Astragalus