Astragalus trichopodus

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Astragalus trichopodus
Astragalustrichopodus.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
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. trichopodus
Binomial name
Astragalus trichopodus

Astragalus trichopodus is a species of legume known by the common name Santa Barbara milk vetch. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several types of open habitat, including in the Transverse Ranges and Mojave Desert.

The species has three subspecies: [2]

Astraglus trichopodus var. antiselli - Antisell's milkvetch

Astraglus trichopodus var. lonchus - Southern California milkvetch

Astraglus trichopodus var. trichopodus - Santa Barbara milkvetch

Description

This is a robust perennial herb producing a branching stem up to about a meter in maximum height. The hairy stem is lined with many leaves each up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long which are made up of several pairs of widely spaced lance-shaped leaflets each up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in length. The inflorescence is a raceme of up to 50 flowers which are cream colored and sometimes tinted with light purple. Each flower is 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.18 in) long including its tubular base of sepals. The species' blooming period is from February to June. [3]

The fruit is a laterally compressed, slightly inflated legume pod up to 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2.0 in) long which dries to a papery texture. The fruits hang in bunches where they develop from the inflorescence. Each pod contains many seeds.

Distribution and Habitat

The plant is endemic and native to southern California and its range also extends to Baja California. It can be found in coastal sage scrub and grassland communities. [3] [4]

It is most commonly found in the months of March, April, and May. [5]

Its conservation status is listed as G3, which means it is vulnerable. [6]

Ecology

Astragalus trichopodus supports several different species of butterflies and is the host plant for the Reakirt's blue, the arrowhead blue, the marine blue, Queen Alexandra's sulphur, and the critically endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly. [3] [7]

The species was once thought to be the only host plant for PV blue butterflies, but larvae have since been found to feed on Acmispon glaber as well. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Astragalus alpinus</i> Species of milkvetch

Astragalus alpinus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine milkvetch. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

Astragalus anxius is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common names troubled milkvetch and Ash Valley milkvetch. It is endemic to northern Lassen County, California, where it is critically imperiled. It was formally described in 1992.

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

Astragalus asymmetricus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name San Joaquin milkvetch. It is endemic to California, where it grows in grassy and disturbed areas in the Central Valley and nearby parts of the Central Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay Area.

<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.

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

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.

<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 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 didymocarpus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus didymocarpus is a species of milkvetch known by the common names Dwarf white milkvetch and Two-seeded milkvetch. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat.

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

Astragalus douglasii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Douglas's milkvetch. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of desert, valley, chaparral and woodlands, and montane habitats, usually below 8,000 feet (2,400 m) elevation.

<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.

<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 kentrophyta</i> Species of flowering plant in the milkvetch genus

Astragalus kentrophyta is a species of milkvetch known by the common name spiny milkvetch. It is native to western North America from central to west Canada, to California, to New Mexico. It grows in rocky mountainous areas, such as the Sierra Nevada, and on plateaus.

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

Astragalus lentiformis is a species of milkvetch known by the common name lens-pod milkvetch. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada in eastern Plumas County, California, where it grows in chaparral scrub and coniferous forests.

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

Astragalus oophorus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name egg milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, mainly California and Nevada, though one variety can be found as far east as Colorado. It is a plant of sagebrush and other dry habitat.

<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.

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

Astragalus purshii is a species of milkvetch known by the common names woollypod milkvetch and Pursh's milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus pycnostachyus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Astragalus pycnostachyus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name marsh milkvetch. It is endemic to the coastline of California, where it grows in wet saline habitat such as marshes.

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

Astragalus tener is a species of milkvetch known by the common name alkali milkvetch. It is endemic to California, where it grows in both coastal and inland areas such as the Central Valley, especially in moist places.

<i>Astragalus lentiginosus <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> iodanthus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus lentiginosus var. iodanthus, synonym Astragalus iodanthus, is a variety of Astragalus lentiginosus, a flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known by the common names Humboldt River milkvetch and violet milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, where its range includes California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. It grows on hills and in valleys in barren sandy and volcanic soils in habitat such as sagebrush.

References

  1. Kartesz, J.T. (1994). "Astragalus trichopodus". NatureServe . Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  2. "Santa Barbara Milkvetch (Astragalus trichopodus)". iNaturalist Canada. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Astragalus trichopodus Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. "Astragalus trichopodus-Santa Barbara Milkvetch". www.moosacreeknursery.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  5. "Astragalus trichopodus (Nutt.) A.Gray". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  6. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, J., A. Stangeland, D. Amoroso, A. Romero, J. VanKempen, T. Wilson, S. Foster, T. Hampson, J. Eccles, K. Virun, R. Minzer, B. Coomes, J. Mauck, D. Flannery, B. MacQuiddy, M. McNeil, M. Wagner and T. Longcore, 2010. Final Report for Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly Year 2010 Captive Rearing on Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro, California and The Butterfly Project, Moorpark, California. Los Angeles: The Urban Wildlands Group (Defense Logistics Agency Agreement # N62473-08-LT-R0011). 22 pp.