Astragalus lentiformis

Astragalus lentiformis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Astragalus
Species:	A. lentiformis
Binomial name
Astragalus lentiformis A.Gray ex W.H.Brewer & S.Wats.

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.

Description

Astragalus lentiformis is a small perennial herb forming a patch of spreading stems 10 to 20 centimeters long. The leaves are less than 4 centimeters in length and are made up of several narrow leaflets. Stem and leaves have a thin coat of fine grayish hairs.

The inflorescence is a small cluster of 5 to 10 off-white or pale yellow flowers each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a lens-shaped legume pod less than a centimeter long which is hairy and papery in texture.

Jepson Herbarium specimen sheet for Astragalus lentiformis

See also

• California interior chaparral and woodlands
• Flora of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)

External links

• Calflora Database: Astragalus lentiformis (Lens pod milkvetch)
• Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Astragalus lentiformis
• USDA Plants Profile for Astragalus lentiformis (lens pod milkvetch)
• UC Photos gallery: Astragalus lentiformis