Astragalus congdonii
A perennial legume native to central California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, highly variable in stature and pubescence, with white flowers in open racemes and long hanging pods on serpentine bedrock, inhabiting brushy banks and canyon slopes at 100–700 m.
Common Names
Congdon's Milkvetch, Congdon's Milk Vetch
Summary
Congdon's milkvetch is a native perennial herb of central California, endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills where it grows on serpentinized bedrock, canyon sides, and open brushy banks at low elevations. It has a growth form with stems decumbent to ascending, reaching 20–70 cm tall, and leaves with leaflets; large open racemes carry 12–30 cream-colored flowers blooming March–June. The bloom features white petals, and fruit is a slender hanging pod 2–3.5 cm long; copious loose pubescence and long hanging pods are distinctive.
Its distribution is uncommon and scattered in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and it is toxic to eat; conservation status is apparently secure.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
0.5-3 feet
Spread
4-8 inches
Soil Type
Serpentine soils
Bloom Color
Cream-colored, White with a pinkish tinge fading to cream, White, Yellow
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Green or purplish-tinged.
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- S.Watson
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 360 (1885)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fabales
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Subfamily
- Papilionoideae
- Genus
- Astragalus