''Astragalus agrestis'' is a species of

milkvetch ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to temper ...

known by the common names purple milkvetch, purple loco, and field milkvetch. It is native to much of western and northern North America from most of Canada to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern Asia. It grows in vernally moist areas such as meadows, and is often found in sagebrush.

Description

This is a perennial herb growing a slender but sturdy stem from an underground

caudex A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most ...

. It leans or grows upright to a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The stem is often roughly hairy. Alternately arranged leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and made up of several pairs of leaflets up to 2 centimeters long each. They are oval to lance-shaped and may have notched tips. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is an oval-shaped cluster of up to 15 purple or pink-tinted to nearly white pealike flowers. Each flower is up to 2 centimeters long. Flowers bloom May to August. The fruit is an oval-shaped legume pod up to a centimeter long. It is dark colored with white hairs and dries to a papery texture.

Cultivation

When grown in garden settings the network of roots spreads enthusiastically and must be confined if the landscaper does not want a large patch of purple milkvetch.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
agrestis Flora of Kazakhstan Flora of Xinjiang Flora of Mongolia Flora of Siberia Flora of Canada Flora of the Western United States Plants described in 1832 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Astragalus-stub