Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii

Peirson's Milkvetch

FWS Focus

Overview

Characteristics
Overview

Peirson’s milk-vetch is endemic to the sand dunes of eastern Imperial County, California, and Sonora, Mexico. It was listed as threatened in 1998, and ongoing threats to the species include  climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

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Scientific Name

Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii
Common Name
Peirson's milkvetch
Peirson's milk-vetch
FWS Category
Flowering Plants
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Behavior

Characteristics
Behavior

Plants may flower in their first year and produce relatively few fruits, while older plants produce significantly more fruits. 

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Color & Pattern

It has pale purple flowers, and stems and leaves are covered with fine, silky appressed hairs. Leaflets are small and widely spaced, giving the plant a brushy appearance.

Size & Shape

Peirson’s milk-vetch is a short-lived perennial in the legume family, Fabaceae, that has a long tap root, enabling it to grow in shifting sands. It can reach 8 to 35 inches in height.

Geography

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