Astragalus flavus

Astragalus flavus (yellow milkvetch) is a perennial plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.

Growth pattern
It is an erect or curving perennial from 2 to 12 in tall. The plant is covered with star-shaped hairs.

Patches of the plants in bloom may cover large areas of the ground in yellow from the flowers.

Stems and leaves
1 to 6 in leaves are compound pinnate, with linear to egg shaped 1/4 to 6 in leaflets.

Inflorescence and fruit
The inflorescence is born on a stalk with 6-30 flowers having a hairy calyx tube and yellow bell-shaped corolla 1/4 to 1/2 in long. "Flavus" means "yellow", even though most of its flowers are white. It blooms from May to June.

Habitat and range
It grows in saline soil (halophyte) in salt desert shrub between about 3800 to 5400 ft in elevation.