Astragalus didymocarpus

Common Names

Two-seeded milkvetch, Dwarf White Milkvetch, Locoweed, Milkvetch, Rattleweed, Hierba Loca, Cascabelito

Summary

Dwarf White Milkvetch, also known as Two-seeded milkvetch, is a slender, hairy annual forb/herb native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows 2.5–45 cm tall with stems prostrate to erect and minutely grayish strigose; leaves are pinnate with 9–17 leaflets 2–14 mm long, leaflets notched. Inflorescences are head-like with 5–30 flowers under 9 mm, white with a purple tinge; the calyx bears dense black-and-white hairs. Fruits are ascending, spherical pods 2–4 mm long that dry to a stiff papery texture.

Its habitat includes open sites on gravelly to sandy soils at 1,000–2,500 ft and it blooms February–May; plant communities such as Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland, Southern Oak Woodland, and Valley Grassland are associated. Four varieties are recognized: didymocarpus, dispermus, milesianus, obispoensis. It attracts pollinators, with flowers visited by butterflies, moths, flies, honeybees, and native bees.

Lifecycle

Annual

Height

1-12 inches

Spread

1-12 inches

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Gravelly or sandy soils

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils (gravelly to sandy)

Bloom Color

White with purple

Bloom Time

Early Spring to Spring

Foliage Color

Grayish-green

Growth Rate

Annual

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Winter

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, birds