Flower profile

Woolly locoweed

Astragalus mollissimus

Native in the lower 48

Woolly locoweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

11states

2of our state lists

3,552U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: New Mexico, Utah

Quick look

Astragalus mollissimus is a perennial plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Astragalus mollissimus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 11 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Utah and New Mexico. ^NatureServe
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 999 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #55 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 798 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #70 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

Woolly locoweed gift ideas

Handmade woolly locoweed gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Woolly locoweed art print
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Woolly locoweed earrings
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Woolly locoweed embroidery pattern
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Woolly locoweed sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (401 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Utah	Native	March–May	999
New Mexico	Native	February–June	798

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NN (S1), NV (S2), SD (SH), WY (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsToxic to horses

ASPCA's entry “Loco Weed (Astragalus spp.)” (Astragalus spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to horses. Signs include: Incoordination, depression, inability to eat and drink, fetal death and birth defects Credit: Image Courtesy of Gary Coffman, PBase.com Gallery… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records woolly locoweed in 11 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Piute, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele, Uintah, Washington, Wayne.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

More Utah flowers

White sweetclover

Melilotus albus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: June–October

Honey mesquite

Neltuma glandulosa

🌼 Blooms: March–July

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in UT: May–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ASMO7.
iNaturalist, Astragalus mollissimus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Astragalus mollissimus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Astragalus mollissimus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Rachel Smith via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.