Ames's milkvetch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ames's milkvetch
var. suksdorfi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Astragalus
Species:	A. pulsiferae
Binomial name
Astragalus pulsiferae A.Gray
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Astragalus pulsiferae is a type of plant known as a milkvetch. Its common name is Ames's milkvetch. You can find this plant growing naturally in California and Nevada. It also grows in Washington, but it is quite rare there. Ames's milkvetch lives in many different places, including mountains and flat, high areas called plateaus.

What Ames's Milkvetch Looks Like

Ames's milkvetch is a very small plant. It is a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years and does not have a woody stem. It often grows in small clumps or patches close to the ground.

Stems and Leaves

The stems of this plant are fuzzy and usually less than 3 centimeters long. That's about the length of a small paperclip! Its leaves can grow up to 5 centimeters long. Each leaf is made up of several smaller, oval-shaped parts called leaflets.

Flowers

The plant produces a group of 3 to 13 small flowers. Each flower is white with purplish lines and tips. These pretty flowers grow together in a cluster.

Fruit

After the flowers, the plant grows a rounded fruit called a legume pod. This pod is about 1 to 2 centimeters long. When it dries, it becomes very thin and papery. The pod is also covered in tiny hairs.