About Astragalus obscurus S.Watson
Astragalus obscurus, commonly known as arcane milkvetch, is a species of milkvetch. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Oregon, and the northern portions of Nevada and California. It grows in rocky habitats in mountains and the Great Basin plateaus. This species is a small, mat-forming perennial herb, with tufts of hairy stems that can reach a maximum length of 15 centimeters. Its leaves grow up to 10 centimeters long, and are composed of thick, oval-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of 5 to 15 flowers, which range in color from off-white to faintly tinted lilac; each individual flower is less than a centimeter long. The fruit is a narrow, leathery legume pod held upright in the infructescence. This pod may grow up to 2.5 centimeters in length, and it typically contains two internal chambers.
