Astragalus canadensis

Last updated

Canadian milkvetch
Asca11 001 pvp.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Astragalus
Species:
A. canadensis
Binomial name
Astragalus canadensis
L.

Astragalus canadensis is a common and widespread member of the milkvetch genus in the legume family, known commonly as Canadian milkvetch. The plant is found throughout Canada and the United States in many habitats including wetlands, woodlands, and prairies.

Contents

This species has three subspecies: [2]

Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis native to eastern and central US, especially around a strip from Louisiana to Ontario.

Astragalus canadensis var. mortonii native to northwest US, especially eastern Washington and western Idaho.

Astragalus canadensis var. brevidens native to northwest US, including north California.

Uses

Like other Astragalus species, A. canadensis is somewhat toxic, but it has been used medicinally by Native American groups such as the Blackfoot and Lakota people, particularly the roots. The roots were eaten raw or boiled, and used in broth. The roots were usually gathered in spring and fall. [3]

Description

It sends out several thin, erect, green stems, bearing leaves that are actually made up of pairs of leaflets, each leaflet up to 3 centimeters in length. It has inflorescences of tubular, greenish-white flowers which yield beanlike fruits within pods that rattle when dry.

It is a perennial herb. It has tap roots. The alternate, pinnate leaves are elliptic. It can grow up to 4 feet tall. The flowers are white in color. The flowers bloom between the months of May, June, and July. [4]

Ecology

It is used as a food source of Acanthoscelides aureolus, a tiny weevil. [5] Bumblebees, honeybees, and other bees use the plant for nectar. Deer, rabbits, and groundhogs can eat the leaves, unlike other species in the Astragalus genus. [6] Colias alexandra is hosted by this milkvetch. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Astragalus canadensis is usually found naturally in moist prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, thickets, and streambanks in most United States and parts of Canada. The plants tend to colonize in these areas. [8]

It is most commonly found in the months of June, July, and August. 81% of the time it was found in the US and 9.8% it was found in Canada. [2]

It has a global rank of G5, meaning it is secure. It is found across most of the US and Canada, excluding parts of the east, south and north of the countries. It also has many local ranks, including S5 (secure) in British Columbia, Montana, Manitoba, and Iowa, S4 (apparently secure) in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Indiana, West Virginia, and Virginia. Many states also have an endangered status for the species including S3 (vulnerable) in the Northwest Territories, Wyoming, Colorado, Louisiana, New York, and North Carolina, S2 (endangered) in Utah, Ohio, and Vermont. Some states have a S1 status (very endangered) including Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It is extinct in Washington D.C. Many states don’t have a local status. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Astragalus</i> (plant) Genus of legumes

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 temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names include milkvetch, locoweed and goat's-thorn. Some pale-flowered vetches are similar in appearance, but they are more vine-like than Astragalus.

<i>Astragalus alpinus</i> Species of milkvetch

Astragalus alpinus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine milkvetch. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

<i>Amelanchier canadensis</i> Species of tree

Amelanchier canadensis is a species of Amelanchier native to eastern North America in Canada from Newfoundland west to southern Ontario, and in the United States from Maine south to Alabama. It is largely restricted to wet sites, particularly on the Atlantic coastal plain, growing at altitudes from sea level up to 200 m.

<i>Astragalus lentiginosus</i> Species of plant

Astragalus lentiginosus is a species of legume native to western North America where it grows in a range of habitats. Common names include spotted locoweed and freckled milkvetch. There are a great number of wild varieties. The flower and the fruit of an individual plant are generally needed to identify the specific variety.

<i>Astragalus agrestis</i> Species of milkvetch

Astragalus agrestis is a species of milkvetch 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.

<i>Astragalus bernardinus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus bernardinus, known by the common name San Bernardino milkvetch or the Lesser Three-keeled Milkvetch, is a species of milkvetch. It is a plant of desert and dry mountain slope habitat. It is native to California.

Astragalus californicus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Klamath Basin milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus casei</i> Species of legume

Astragalus casei is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Case's milkvetch. It is native to the Mojave Desert and its sky island woodlands of eastern California and western Nevada.

Astragalus curtipes is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Morro milkvetch. It is endemic to the Central Coast of California, including the Morro Bay area in San Luis Obispo County.

<i>Astragalus inyoensis</i> Species of legume

Astragalus inyoensis is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Inyo milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus kentrophyta</i> Species of legume

Astragalus kentrophyta is a species of milkvetch known by the common name spiny milkvetch. It is native to western North America from central to west Canada, to California, to New Mexico. It grows in rocky mountainous areas, such as the Sierra Nevada, and on plateaus.

<i>Astragalus oophorus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus oophorus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name egg milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, mainly California and Nevada, though one variety can be found as far east as Colorado. It is a plant of sagebrush and other dry habitat.

<i>Astragalus purshii</i> Species of legume

Astragalus purshii is a species of milkvetch known by the common names woollypod milkvetch and Pursh's milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus pycnostachyus</i> Species of aquatic plant

Astragalus pycnostachyus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name marsh milkvetch. It is endemic to the coastline of California, where it grows in wet saline habitat such as marshes.

Astragalus humillimus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Mancos milkvetch. It is native to a small section of the Four Corners region of the United States, where it can be found in Montezuma County, Colorado, and San Juan County, New Mexico. There are about nine small, localized populations on sandstone rimrock ledges on the mesas. The plant occurs in a region that is being developed for oil and gas exploration, and altered by associated activities such as road construction and pipeline installation. It is a federally listed endangered species.

<i>Astragalus limnocharis <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> montii</i> Subspecies of legume

Astragalus limnocharis var. montii, synonym Astragalus montii, is a rare variety of flowering plant in the legume family. It is known by the common name Monti's milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where there are only three known populations. Under the synonym A. montii, it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Astragalus microcymbus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus microcymbus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name skiff milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known from Gunnison County and the edge of Saguache County. It was discovered in 1945 by Rupert Barneby, a British botanist. Currently, skiff milkvetch is experiencing population declines and is listed as a Tier 1 species in the Rare Plant Addendum to the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan.

<i>Astragalus amphioxys</i> Species of milkvetch

Astragalus amphioxys, common name crescent milkvetch, is a plant found in the American southwest, including the whole of Utah, the southeast part of Nevada, the north part of Arizona, the western part of Colorado, the northwestern part of New Mexico, and one county in Texas. It was first described by Asa Gray in 1878.

<i>Panax trifolius</i> Species of plant

Panax trifolius, commonly called dwarf ginseng, is a plant native to the Northeastern and Appalachian regions of North America. It is found in low mesic woods with acidic soils.

<i>Astragalus neglectus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus neglectus, or Cooper's milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northeastern North America.

References

  1. NatureServe (2024). "Astragalus canadensis". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Astragalus canadensis L." www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  3. "Astragalus canadensis Canadian Milkvetch, Shorttooth Canadian milkvetch, Morton's Canadian milkvetch PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  4. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  5. "Astragalus canadensis (Canada Milkvetch): Minnesota Wildflowers". www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  6. "Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. "Astragalus canadensis - Butterflies". calscape.org. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  8. Jensen, Nancy. "Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis) Planting Guide" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture.
  9. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.