S. CALIFORNIA LOCOWEED

The Southern California locoweed is one of about 370 species of the astragalus in North America, which are commonly called locoweed, rattleweed and crazyweed.

The perennial shrub, formally

known as astragalus trichopodus, reaches about 3 1/2 feet high. It grows on dry hillsides in chaparral areas.

From about February to June, the Southern California locoweed’s flowering spike, about 4 inches long, is crowded with up to 50 delicate, pea-like blossoms. The flowers are white, tinged with pale yellow-green. The half-inch-long petals give way to flat, slender pods as long as 1 1/2 inches, which dangle like pierced earrings.

The leaves, which are up to 12 inches long, each have between 21 to 39 tiny, lance-shaped leaflets. Locoweeds are members of the pea family. They grow anywhere from deserts to grassy plains to dry mountain slopes. In Western movies, the locoweed has been depicted as a poisoner of livestock, although not all species--including the Southern Californian variety--are toxic.

Poisonous varieties of locoweed affect the nervous system of cattle, horses and sheep, and can cause them to tremble, stumble, or become lethargic or excitable. It also may harm their vision and make them unable to eat or drink. The plant pictured here was found along the Santa Clara River in Valencia.