Astragalus purshii var. lectulus – “Pursh’s Milkvetch”

Also Known As: Woollypod Milkvetch
Family: Legume, Bean (Fabaceae)
Bloom Period: Apr-May
Form: Annual ephemeral groundcover
Habitat: Rocky soil, the “Pebble Plains”
Leaves: Pinnately-compound with narrowly elliptic leaflets with blunt tips
Translation: “Astragalus” is the Greek name for a particular bone in the human foot that the dry fruit supposedly resembles; “purshii” is named after Frederick T. Pursh (1774-1820), botanical explorer and author; “lectulus” is Latin for “couch” or “bed,” and it is unclear how that relates to this plant.
Notes: Leaves and stems are covered in woolly white hairs, giving them a silver appearance. It is a “serial species,” meaning it comes back in the same spot every year by self-sowing.
Native American Uses: The Nlaka’pamux made a decoction of the plant that they used as a hair and body wash, poured over their heads as a ceremonial purifier in sweat lodges, and applied to hunting equipment that had “lost its luck.”