Astragalus bernardinus

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San Bernardino milkvetch
Astragalus-bernardinus-2.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Astragalus
Species:
A. bernardinus
Binomial name
Astragalus bernardinus

Astragalus bernardinus, known by the common name San Bernardino milkvetch or the Lesser Three-keeled Milkvetch, [1] is a species of milkvetch. It is a plant of desert and dry mountain slope habitat. It is native to California. [2]

Contents

Distribution and Habitat

The plant is native to the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. It is also found in the Mojave Desert sky islands, in the Ivanpah Mountains and nearby New York Mountains which straddle the CaliforniaNevada state line. [3]

It lives in the communities of Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Joshua Tree Woodland. It is threatened in California. [2]

It has a rank of G3, which means it is vulnerable. [4]

Description

Astragalus bernardinus is a slender, wiry perennial herb growing in twisted clumps, sometimes clinging to other plants for support. The stems are 10 to 50 centimeters long and mostly naked, coated partly in stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 14 centimeters long and are made up of widely spaced pairs of lance-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence is a loose cluster of up to 25 light purple pealike flowers. The fruit is a pale-colored legume pod up to 3 centimeters long which dries to a papery texture. The bloom colors are White, Pink, Blue , Purple, or Violet. [1]

Its bloom period is through April, May, and June. It has major toxicity, which probably comes from eating it. [2] It is found in the elevations of 900-2300 meters. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Astragalus canadensis</i> Species of legume

Astragalus canadensis is a common and widespread member of the milkvetch genus in the legume family, known commonly as Canadian milkvetch. The plant is found throughout Canada and the United States in many habitats including wetlands, woodlands, and prairies.

Astragalus bicristatus is a species of milkvetch known by the common names crested milkvetch and two-crested milkvetch. It is endemic to southern California, where it grows in the coniferous forests of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Ranges.

<i>Astragalus bolanderi</i> Species of legume

Astragalus bolanderi is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Bolander's milkvetch. It is native to western Nevada and parts of the Sierra Nevada in California. It grows in dry, rocky habitat on mountain and plateau.

<i>Astragalus breweri</i> Species of legume

Astragalus breweri is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Brewer's milkvetch. It is endemic to northern California, where it is found in several counties surrounding the north edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in open habitat in the North Coast Ranges, sometimes on serpentine soils.

Astragalus californicus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Klamath Basin milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus casei</i> Species of legume

Astragalus casei is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Case's milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert and its sky island woodlands of eastern California and western Nevada.

Astragalus cimae is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Cima milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert and its sky island woodlands of eastern California western Nevada, especially on calcareous soils, including the Cima Dome area in the Mojave National Preserve.

Astragalus clevelandii is an uncommon species of milkvetch known by the common name Cleveland's milkvetch. It is endemic to northern California, where it grows in moist areas of the North Coast Ranges. It is a member of the serpentine soils flora.

<i>Astragalus coccineus</i> Species of plant

Astragalus coccineus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name scarlet locoweed or scarlet milkvetch. It is native to the deserts, scrub, and chaparral of the Southwestern United States in Arizona, California, and Nevada, and in northwestern Mexico.

<i>Astragalus congdonii</i> Species of legume

Astragalus congdonii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Congdon's milkvetch. It is a perennial herb that is endemic to central California.

Astragalus curtipes is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Morro milkvetch. It is endemic to the Central Coast of California, including the Morro Bay area in San Luis Obispo County.

<i>Astragalus deanei</i> Species of legume

Astragalus deanei is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Dean's milkvetch, or Deane's milkvetch. It is endemic to southern San Diego County, California, where it grows on the slopes of the Peninsular Ranges between El Cajon and Tecate.

<i>Astragalus ertterae</i> Species of legume

Astragalus ertterae is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Walker Pass milkvetch. It is endemic to California, where it is known from only three occurrences near Walker Pass in the Sierra Nevada. It is endangered by trampling, trail use, and also grazing.

Astragalus gilmanii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Gilman's milkvetch. It is native to the desert scrub and woodland of Nevada, the California Sierra Nevada and Inyo Mountains, and it is known from a few locations in the Panamint Range adjacent to Death Valley in California.

<i>Astragalus inversus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus inversus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Susanville milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus inyoensis</i> Species of legume

Astragalus inyoensis is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Inyo milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus jaegerianus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus jaegerianus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Lane Mountain milkvetch. The plant was named for the biologist Edmund Jaeger, who first documented it in 1939.

Astragalus leucolobus is a species of milkvetch known by the common names Bear Valley milkvetch and Bear Valley woollypod.

<i>Astragalus oxyphysus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus oxyphysus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Diablo milkvetch. It is endemic to central California, where it grows in dry grassland and scrub habitat in the Central Valley and the adjacent Inner Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills.

Prunus eremophila, also known by its common name Mojave Desert plum, is a rare species of plum native to California.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  2. 1 2 3 "Astragalus bernardinus Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  3. "USDA Plants Database".
  4. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  5. Palms, Mailing Address: 74485 National Park Drive Twentynine; Us, CA 92277-3597 Phone: 760 367-5500 Contact. "Astragalus bernardinus M.E. Jones - Joshua Tree National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-31.