Taxonomy

Division:

Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants

Family:

Fabaceae

Genus:

Astragalus

Species:

Astragalus vestitus

Growth Characteristics

Growth Habit:

Subshrub

Height:

40 cm

Drought Tolerance:

High

Bloom Months:

apr,may,jun

Bloom Colors:

white, cream, pink

Keystone Species Ranking

Pollen Specialist Bee Keystone:

★★★☆☆ Native pollen specialist bee species supported by this genus (NWF)

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:

bees, native pollinators

Deer Resistant:

Yes

Fire Ecology:

Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire

Fire Notes:

Typical of chaparral and foothill grassland species, likely benefits from occasional fire clearing competition and may resprout from root crown after low-intensity burns.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days

Scarification:

Seed coat scarification required before sowing

Germination Time:

14–45 days

Notes:

Hard seed coat requires scarification by nicking or brief hot water treatment. Cold stratification improves germination uniformity.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI