Astragalus australis var. cottonii
Fabaceae
Olympic Mountain Milkvetch
Upright to scrambling. Stems gray, hairy, spreading from taproot. Leaves divided, 11–17 oblong leaflets, each to 1/2 in. long, densely coated with long soft hairs on both sides. Flower stalk 1–2 in. long, with 8–15 flowers, mixed black and white hairs on calyx, greenish white- and purple-veined petals. Seedpods (pictured) shiny, fat, nearly 1 in. long with pointed tip, not mottled with color. Endemic to Olympic Mountains on talus slopes.
- Rarity: Endemic
- Flowering Time: Early Summer, Mid Summer, Late Summer
- Flower Form: Pea flowers, compound leaves
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 4–20 inches long
- Habitat: Alpine, Subalpine
- Found In: Olympic NP
- Native: Yes
- Latin Synonyms: Astragalus cottonii, Astragalus australis var. olympicus
