Fabaceae

Astragalus purshii

Woolly-Pod Milkvetch

Tuft from woody base. Stem to 6 in. tall. Stems and leaves covered with very fine, wavy, entangled silver or gray hair, leaves divided. Leaflets 3–17, oval to almost round, tips rounded or notched. Flower stalks erect to prostrate among leaves, with 1 to many flowers. Flowers purple, pink to lavender, or cream. Seedpods straight or curved, covered with thick white hairs and looking like balls of cotton. Grows in dry plains or slopes with juniper or sagebrush at mid to high elevations. Four varieties occur in Oregon and Washington.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: All Spring
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: to 5 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Siskiyous, Wallowas, Steens, Great Basin
• Native: Yes