''Astragalus bicristatus'' is a species of

milkvetch ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...

known by the common names crested milkvetch and two-crested milkvetch. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it grows in the

coniferous forests Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant ...

of the San Gabriel and

San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain � ...

of the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa B ...

Distribution and habitat

It has a global rank of G3, which means it is vulnerable. It is found in the habitat of Yellow Pine Forests. It has major toxicity, probably from eating it.

Description

''Astragalus bicristatus'' is a perennial herb sprawling outwards with stems to a maximum length approaching half a meter. The leaves are up to 14 centimeters long and are made up of very widely spaced narrow linear leaflets. The stems and foliage have sparse grayish hairs, giving them a rough texture. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a loose array of up to 20 pealike flowers. Each flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long and is purple-tinted white to light greenish yellow. Its bloom period is between the months of May and August. The fruit is a hanging capsule 2 to 4 centimeters long and curved or crescent-shaped. It is fleshy when immature and leathery to woody when dried.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Astragalus bicristatus''The Nature ConservancyUSDA Plants Profile''Astragalus bicristatus'' — U.C. Photo gallery
bicristatus Endemic flora of California Natural history of the Transverse Ranges ~ ~ Natural history of San Bernardino County, California {{Astragalus-stub