Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Scientific name Astragalus bernardinus Rank Species | Order Fabales Genus Astragalus Higher classification Milkvetch | |
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Astragalus bernardinus, known by the common name San Bernardino milkvetch, is a species of milkvetch. It is a plant of desert and dry mountain slope habitat.
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Distribution
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 California—Nevada state line.
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.