The flowers of the Dalles Milk-vetch are pea-like
and the fruit is a pod, as is true of all legumes. Sparsely to densely silvery-strigillose
perennial from a branched crown; stems several, 20-50 cm tall, usually sand-buried
at base and the subterranean portion with only the rusty stipules
at the nodes; leaves 3-12 cm long; stipules triangular, 2-4 mm long, those
above ground not connate; leaflets 15-21, linear to oblong-lanceolate
Distribution
Map
Red dots indicate specimen records or confirmed breeding sites.
British Columbia
Found in sagebrush steppe in the Okanagan Highlands at Kaleden, Summerland,
Penticton, Osoyoos and Mt. Kobau near Richter Pass.
North America
Ranges south to Washington and Northeast Oregon. Along both sides of the
Columbia River, from The Dalles upstream to the Great Bend, then north
through interior Washington to Kettle Falls and, following the Okanogan
River, north just into southern British Columbia..
Habitat
The preferred habitat of the Dalles Milk-vetch includes: dunes and sandy
barrens; dry sites in the steppe vegetation and lower montane zones of
Ponderosa Pine parkland.
Why is it endangered?
This species along with others of the grasslands communities are endangered
for a number of reasons. Livestock grazing, range re-seeding and off-road
recreation have modified much of the remaining "undeveloped"
grassland areas. In addition, cultivation, agricultural and urban development,
prescribed burning, forest encroachment, road and trail development, alien
plant and animal species introductions, and hydro-electric power projects
have caused outright, irreversible losses of native grassland species
in general.
Because grasslands have been so influenced by human activities, a relatively
large number of wildlife species associated with grasslands (including
this plant species) are listed as threatened or endangered. Because of
these combined influences and the relatively limited distribution of grasslands,
"ancient" grasslands represent a much more endangered space
in British Columbia than do "ancient" or old-growth forests.
Biology
Blooms from April to June.
Sources for more information
Related On-line Sites to Visit
Publications
The Vascular Plants of BC, MOF, pt2, 1990, p.26
The SOCAP Workshop Summary, The Nature Trust, 1989.
Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock, 1971.
Museum Specimens
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