Draba milkvetch

Description:

Known also as Tufted milkvetch, Astragalus spatulatus is a Great Plains species that has somehow made it this far west. It might be confused with the local endemic A. detritalis which was in flower on this same date in the same county (but not at this same location) and to which this species is somewhat related. The leaves of the two species are however quite different, and among other things, A. spatulatus has a tendency to form mats (as above) which A. detritalis does not. Often when this species is in bloom it is difficult to see the leaves because it tends to bloom profusely; this however had been a dry year.May 6, 2006, northern Duchesne County, Utah, sandy soil, approx. 5900 ft. elev.