Astragalus casei

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Case's milkvetch (Astragalus casei)

Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes
- Clade: Angiosperms
- Clade: Eudicots
- Clade: Rosids
- Order: Fabales
- Family: Fabaceae
- Subfamily: Faboideae
- Genus: Astragalus
- Species: A. casei
- Binomial name: Astragalus casei A.Gray ex W.H.Brewer & S.Wats.

Description
Case's milkvetch is a wiry, branching perennial herb that forms an open clump of stems up to about 40 cm (16 inches) long. Its leaves are up to 10 cm (4 inches) long and made of many thin, narrow leaflets.

Flowers
The plant carries an inflorescence of up to 25 flowers. Each flower is 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 inches) long and can be pink, lilac, or white. Blooms occur from April to June. Petals are usually pink-purple with white tips, though sometimes they are all white.

Fruit
The fruit is a hanging legume pod, 2–5 cm (0.8–2 inches) long. It is narrow, slightly hairy, and ends in a sharp beak. Pods are pulpy when new and dry to a tougher texture.

Habitat
Astragalus casei is native to the Mojave Desert and the sky island woodlands of eastern California and western Nevada.