Astragalus bolanderi is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Bolander's milkvetch. It is native to western Nevada and parts of the Sierra Nevada in California.[1] It grows in dry, rocky habitat on mountain and plateau.
Astragalus bolanderi is a perennial herb producing erect, drooping, or creeping stems up to 40 centimeters long. The stems are mostly naked, with a sparse coat of long, wavy hairs and a few leaves on the upper parts. The leaves are up to 16 centimeters long and are made up of very widely spaced oval to nearly lance-shaped leaflets each up to 2 centimeters long. The leaflet has a hard midrib that ends in a point at the tip.
It blooms between the months of June to September. It is most commonly found in the elevations of between 6,000 to 8,000 feet.[2] It is most commonly found in the months of July and August.[3]
The inflorescence is a dense cluster of 7 to 18 pealike flowers. Each flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long and is purple-tinted white. The fruit is an inflated, curved legume pod up to 3 centimeters long. It dries to a thick papery texture.