About Astragalus balearicus Chater
Astragalus balearicus Chater is a small, round shrub with dense, leafy foliage. Its leaves are 1 to 3 cm (0.39 to 1.2 inches) long, and typically divided into three to five leaflets. The flowers are 10 to 13 mm (0.39 to 0.51 inches) long, and bloom between March and July. Its legumes are 7 to 9 mm (0.28 to 0.35 inches) long, hairless (glabrous), and slightly oval in shape. Its overall appearance resembles a hedgehog, which gives it the local popular name eriçóns, meaning hedgehog. It also has other local common names: coixinet de monja (nun’s pad) and eixorba-rates negre (black rat). This legume species is endemic to the islands of Mallorca and Minorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Its cushion-shaped thorny growth forms a characteristic landscape feature of these islands, and it is especially abundant in the Serra de Tramuntana. It grows on limestone soils located over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level. It favors dry, windy, highly exposed environments, which can be either mountainous or coastal, with deep calcareous soils. It occurs alongside other species such as Paeonia cambessedesii. The IUCN Red List lists this species as Least Concern.
