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.
Astragalus newberryi, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the western United States from Idaho to New Mexico and California. A variety is found in the Death Valley area and the eastern Mojave Desert in California and Nevada. It grows in rocky and gravelly areas between 1,300–2,350 metres (4,270–7,710 ft) elevation.
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.
Athysanus is a monotypic genus whose only species is Athysanus pusillus, the common sandweed.
Antennaria argentea is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name silver pussytoes or silvery everlasting. It is native primarily to Oregon and to northern and central California with additional populations in Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.
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.
Astragalus platytropis is a species of milkvetch known by the common name broadkeel milkvetch. It is native to the western United States from Montana to California, where it lives at high elevation in alpine and subalpine plant communities. This is a small perennial milkvetch which forms a small patch of short silvery-green stems on rocky ground. The leaves may be up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long and are made up of several hairy leaflets. The inflorescence is a head of four to nine pale purple flowers, each just under 1 cm (0.39 in) long. The fruit is a bladdery legume pod which can exceed 3 cm (1.2 in) long.
Astragalus purshii is a species of milkvetch known by the common names woollypod milkvetch and Pursh's milkvetch.
Astragalus zionis is a species of legume known by the common name Zion milkvetch. It is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in Zion canyon. First described by botanist Marcus E. Jones in 1895, the species has also been placed in the defunct genus Xylophacos under the name Xylophacos zionis. The variety Astragalus zionis var. vigulus, the guard milkvetch, was described by Stanley Welsh in 1993.
Astragalus desereticus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Deseret milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah County, Utah, where it is known from only one population. It was thought to be extinct until 1981 when this population was discovered. The population contains 5,000 to 10,000 plants on an area of land covering less than 300 acres. It is vulnerable to damage from grazing cattle, which eat the plant and trample the soil, and from development and erosion. This is a federally listed threatened species.
Astragalus holmgreniorum is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common names Holmgren milk-vetch and paradox milk-vetch. It is native to a tiny section of desert shrub woodland on the border between Utah and Arizona, in the far northern Mojave Desert. There are six populations remaining. It is a federally listed endangered species.
Astragalus cicer, the chickpea milkvetch, chick-pea milk-vetch or cicer milkvetch, is a perennial flowering plant native to Eastern Europe, popularized and subsequently transported to areas in Southern Europe, North America, and South America. It produces pods that resemble those of chickpeas. Its flowers are usually of pale yellow tint, and attract bumble or European honey bees for pollination. Growth often exceeds 0.6 meters, up to a height of 1 meter in length.
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.
Astragalus leptaleus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name park milkvetch. It is native to the Rocky Mountains of the United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Astragalus molybdenus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Leadville milkvetch and molybdenum milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States. If the separate species Astragalus shultziorum and Astragalus lackschewitzii are included in A. molybdenum the range expands into Wyoming and Montana.
Astragalus cibarius, commonly called the browse milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.
Astragalus neglectus, or Cooper's milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northeastern North America.
Astragalus racemosus, the cream milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to central North America. A selenium hyperaccumulator, it is considered capable of poisoning livestock as one of the locoweeds.
Astragalus succumbens is a perennial species of flowering plant in the legume family, commonly referred to as Columbia milkvetch. Other names include the crouching milkvetch and sprawling milkvetch. It is native to north-central Oregon and south-central Washington in the Columbia River valley.
