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Astragalus utahensis
One of the earliest plants to flower in spring, Utah ladyfinger milkvetch is a common road shoulder plant throughout its wide range in the Great Basin. It thrives in the sterile gravel of road cuts and quarry disturbances, often forming large colonies that put on a spectacular floral display. Inch-long magenta pea blossoms cover the low, woolly plants in April and contrast beautifully with the silvery green foliage. After flowering, the base of the plant is surrounded by densely woolly seed pods that resemble little chicks. The plants grow actively all summer even in hot, dry gravel barrens. Utah ladyfinger milkvetch is very drought-hardy and intolerant of overwatering and highly fertile soils. It rarely lives more than a year or two under these conditions, but in a lean, rocky, well-drained soil, the plants can live for many years. Utah ladyfinger milkvetch is a good choice for desert rock gardens and other sunny, low-water areas. Good companion plants that share these minimal needs are fragrant evening primrose, sundancer daisy, silver buckwheat, and twinpod.
Endangered.
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