General: Beckwith's Milkvetch (Astragalus beckwithii) is a low-growing perennial forb with compound leaves. The flowers are purple "pea flowers" (bilaterally symmetrical) and the plant produces large, inflated seed pods.

Beckwith's Milkvetch is a fairly common component of desert mountain communities. Around Las Vegas, look for this species in the Yellow Pine Forest (Transition) life zone up on Mt. Charleston.

Family: Pea (Fabaceae).

Other Names: Egg Milkvetch.

Plant Form:

Height: To about 10 inches

Stems: Short, spreading.

Leaves: Compound (odd-1-pinnate), to about 6 inches.

Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Flowers purple and white; "pea flowers."

Seeds:

Habitat: Dry, rocky, gravel soils in the mountains.

Elevation: About 8,000 feet.

Distribution:

Comments: