Pomona milkvetch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Astragalus pomonensis |
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The Astragalus pomonensis, also known as the Pomona milkvetch, is a special type of plant. It belongs to a group of plants called milkvetch. This plant is native to Baja California in Mexico and southern California in the United States.
You can find the Pomona milkvetch growing in many different places along the coast. This includes areas like the California Coast Ranges. It is a bushy plant that lives for many years.
What is the Pomona Milkvetch?
The Pomona milkvetch is a type of plant called a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It grows in a clump with thick, hollow stems. These stems can reach up to about 80 centimeters (about 31 inches) tall.
What Does it Look Like?
The leaves of the Pomona milkvetch can be quite long. They grow up to 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) in length. Each leaf is made up of many smaller, oval-shaped leaflets. These leaflets are usually about 3 centimeters (just over an inch) long.
The plant produces many flowers. These flowers grow in a large cluster, which scientists call an inflorescence. There can be up to 45 cream-colored flowers in one cluster. Each flower is small, measuring between one and two centimeters (about 0.4 to 0.8 inches) long.
How Does it Reproduce?
After the flowers bloom, the plant forms a special kind of fruit. This fruit is a bladdery legume pod. It looks a bit like a small, inflated balloon. When the pod dries, it becomes very thin and almost see-through, like paper.
These pods can grow quite large, sometimes longer than 4 centimeters (about 1.6 inches). Once the pod is dry, it usually falls off the plant. Inside the pod are the seeds, which will grow into new Pomona milkvetch plants.
