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Twocrested milkvetch

Astragalus bicristatus

Also called Crested Milkvetch

Twocrested milkvetch
Photo: Matt Berger, CC BY 4.0

Astragalus bicristatus is a sprawling perennial milkvetch from the coniferous mountain forests of southern California. It is a native wildflower rather than a common garden plant, and its rarity makes it best left in the wild or grown only from responsibly sourced seed.

Family
Fabaceae (Pea & bean family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water sparingly once established; it is adapted to dry summers and wet winters.
Soil
Well-drained, gritty or sandy soil; tolerates poor, mineral soils.
Temperature
Hardy to around -10 °C; protect from prolonged heat above 35 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Sources describe major toxicity, probably from eating the plant; locoweed-type milkvetches can cause poisoning.
Native range
SW. California
Climate
subtropical

About

Astragalus bicristatus is a species of milkvetch known by the common names crested milkvetch and two-crested milkvetch. It is endemic to southern California, where it grows in the coniferous forests of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Ranges.

Where it grows

It has a global rank of G3, which means it is vulnerable. It is found in the habitat of Yellow Pine Forests. It has major toxicity, probably from eating it.

Other Astragalus plants

Astragalus aboriginum · Rogue River milkvetch · Sharp-leaved Milk Vetch · Sharpkeel milkvetch · Humboldt County milkvetch · Purple milkvetch · Cushenbury milkvetch · Astragalus alopecurus · Alpine milkvetch · Crescent milkvetch · Hermit Milkvetch · Anderson's milkvetch

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Astragalus bicristatus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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