Fabaceae

Astragalus cottonii

Olympic Mountain Milkvetch

Upright to scrambling. Stems gray, hairy, spreading from taproot. Leaves divided, 11–17 oblong leaflets, each to 1/2 in. long, densely coated with long soft hairs on both sides. Flower stalk 1–2 in. long, with 8–15 flowers, mixed black and white hairs on calyx, greenish white- and purple-veined petals. Seedpods (pictured) shiny, fat, nearly 1 in. long with pointed tip, not mottled with color. Endemic to Olympic Mountains on talus slopes.

• Rarity: Endemic
• Flowering Time: All Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 4--20 inches long
• Habitat: Subalpine, Alpine
• Found In: Olympic Np
• Native: Yes