Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Astragalus acutirostris is a species of milkvetch known by the common name sharpkeel milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert and surroundings of California, Nevada, and Arizona, where it grows in dry, sandy, gravelly areas. Astragalus acutirostris is an annual legume growing a hairy reddish stem no more than 30 centimeters long along the ground or slightly upright. The small leaves are made up of several pairs of small oblong leaflets, each less than a centimeter long and often with notched tips. The inflorescence contains one to six white or pinkish-tinted pealike flowers, each with a banner that curves back. Astragalus acutirostris is an annual legume growing a hairy reddish stem no more than 30 centimeters long along the ground or slightly upright. The small leaves are made up of several pairs of small oblong leaflets, each less than a centimeter long and often with notched tips. The inflorescence contains one to six white or pinkish-tinted pealike flowers, each with a banner that curves back. The fruit is a slightly curved, narrow legume pod 1 to 3 centimeters long. The pod is thin-walled and coated sparsely in white hairs like the rest of the plant.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

0.8 - 12 in Tall

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Color

Pink, White

Plant communities

Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 18 likely

Confirmed Likely

Alfalfa Looper Moth

Autographa californica

Orange Sulphur

Colias eurytheme

Harford's Sulphur

Colias harfordii