Astragalus leptaleus

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Astragalus leptaleus
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (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. leptaleus
Binomial name
Astragalus leptaleus
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Astragalus pauciflorus A.Gray 1863)
    • Phaca leptalea (A.Gray) Rydb. (1913)
    • Phaca pauciflora Nutt. (1838)
    • Tragacantha leptalea (A.Gray) Kuntze (1891)

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, [3] where it occurs in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. [4]

This rhizomatous perennial herb grows from a taproot and underground branching caudex unit. It has one or more stems up to 20 centimeters long and may form mats. Each leaf is made up of up to 27 leaflets. Flowers are borne in calyces of sepals coated in black hairs. The flowers are cream-white with a purple spot near the tip of the keel. The fruit is a legume pod up to 2.5 centimeters long which is covered in black and white hairs. [3] [4] Blooming time is June through August. [4]

This is mainly a plant of wetlands, often growing on streambanks with willows, such as Salix geyeriana . [4] It grows in the ecotone between wet river habitat and drier upland sites. [3] [4] Common associated plants include Poa pratensis , Juncus balticus , and Sisyrinchium idahoense . It may occur with rare plants such as Astragalus diversifolius , Phlox kelseyi , Salix candida , Carex livida , Primula alcalina , and Lomatogonium rotatum . [3]

The main threats to this species include those associated with habitat modification, such as the conversion of meadows to hay fields. Other threats include livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, and introduced species of plants. [4]

Related Research Articles

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Astragalus albens is a species of milkvetch known by the common names Cushenbury milkvetch and silvery-white milkvetch.

<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.

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

Astragalus bolanderi is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Bolander's milkvetch. It is native to western Nevada and parts of the Sierra Nevada in California. It grows in dry, rocky habitat on mountain and plateau.

Astragalus funereus is an uncommon species of milkvetch known by the common names Funeral Mountain milkvetch and black milkvetch.

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

Astragalus gibbsii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Gibbs's milkvetch. It is native to eastern California, the north-central Sierra Nevada, and western Nevada, where it grows in the pine forest habitat of the mountains and the sagebrush of the plateaus.

<i>Astragalus kentrophyta</i> Species of flowering plant in the milkvetch genus

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 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 desereticus</i> Species of legume

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.

<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 iselyi</i> Species of legume

Astragalus iselyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Isely's milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah in the United States.

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

Astragalus australis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Indian milkvetch. It is native to much of the Northern Hemisphere, including northern North America, Europe, and temperate Asia.

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

Astragalus barrii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Barr's milkvetch. It is native to the United States, where it is a "regional endemic", occurring in parts of southwestern South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming, southeastern Montana, and Nebraska.

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

Astragalus mulfordiae is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Mulford's milkvetch. It was so named after its discoverer Anna Isabel Mulford. It is native to the Snake River Plain in Idaho and Oregon in the United States.

Astragalus sinuatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Whited's milkvetch. It is endemic to Washington in the United States, where it is limited to one creek drainage on the western edge of the Columbia Basin. Its range measures about ten square miles in Chelan and Kittitas Counties in the central part of the state.

Astragalus tyghensis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Tygh Valley milkvetch. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is known only from the Tygh Valley of Wasco County.

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

Astragalus anisus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Gunnison milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the Gunnison Basin of Gunnison and Saguache Counties.

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

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 proximus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Aztec milkvetch. It is native to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States.

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

Astragalus ripleyi is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Ripley's milkvetch. It is native to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States.

Astragalus wetherillii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Wetherill's milkvetch. It is native to Colorado and Utah in the United States.

References

  1. NatureServe (2024). "Astragalus leptaleus". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  2. "Astragalus leptaleus A.Gray". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Moseley, R. K. A Field Investigation of Park Milkvetch (Astragalus leptaleus) in Idaho. Idaho Department of Fish and Game, October 1991.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ladyman, J.A.R. (2006, February 24). Astragalus leptaleus Gray (park milkvetch): A technical conservation assessment. [Online. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region.