Astragalus molybdenus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Astragalus |
Species: | A. molybdenus |
Binomial name | |
Astragalus molybdenus | |
Varieties [2] | |
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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. [1] [3] [4]
This species is a small perennial herb growing from a taproot and underground branching caudex unit. Underground stem branches may root and sprout up as new plants, so what appear to be two separate plants may actually be one individual sprouting up twice. This underground stem has sometimes been called a rhizome, or at least rhizome-like. The herbage is coated in hairs, making it look ashy or silvery. The leaves are compound, made up of up to 25 leaflets which may be folded. The flowers are purple, pinkish purple, or purple-striped white. Flowering occurs in late June through early August. The fruit is a legume pod up to a centimeter long. It has a single chamber holding the seeds. [3]
This plant species was originally described as Astragalus plumbeus by Rupert Charles Barneby, [2] as the plant is grayish in color and it was first collected near Leadville, Colorado. [3] This name was already taken by an Asian species, Astragalus plumbeus , so the name was changed to A. molybdenus. Molybdenum is also grayish in color and is mined near Leadville. [3]
The botanist Stanley Larson Welsh published a paper in 1998 that synomymized the species Astragalus shultziorum with A. molybdenus as a variety. [5] In 2007 Matt Lavin and Hollis Marriott published a description that did the same to Astragalus lackschewitzii. [6]
As of 2024 [update] Plants of the World Online considers these newer combinations to be correct. [2] However, NatureServe continues to list Astragalus lackschewitzii as a separate species. [1] [7]
This plant grows in the alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains. Sometimes it occurs in subalpine zones. Most occurrences are at 3600 to 4000 meters in elevation. It grows mainly on calcareous soils such as broken limestone. It may grow on loose scree, its branching underground parts helping to stabilize it in the substrate. It grows in sparse or heavy vegetation and in dry to moist areas. It often grows in spots where there is snow most or all of the year. [3] Associated plant species include Claytonia megarhiza , Kobresia sp., Oxyria digyna , and Silene acaulis . [1]
Threats to this species include mining, recreational activities such as hiking and off-road vehicle use, and global climate change. [3]
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 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.
Psorothamnus is a genus of plants in the legume family. These are shrubs and small trees. Many are known by the general common name indigo bush. Some are referred to as daleas, as this genus was once included in genus Dalea. These are generally thorny, thickly branched, strongly scented bushes. Most species bear lupinlike raceme inflorescences of bright purple legume flowers and gland-rich pods. Psorothamnus species are native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The genus is paraphyletic and it has been proposed that the genus Psorodendron be reinstated to accommodate sections Xylodalea, Capnodendron, and Winnemucca.
Astragalus lentiginosus 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.
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 anxius is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common names troubled milkvetch and Ash Valley milkvetch. It is endemic to northern Lassen County, California, where it is critically imperiled. It was formally described in 1992.
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.
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.
Astragalus lentiginosus var. pseudiodanthus, synonym Astragalus pseudiodanthus, is a variety of the species Astragalus lentiginosus, a milkvetch. It is known by the common name Tonopah milkvetch. It is native to the Great Basin deserts of Nevada and eastern California, such as the Tonopah area, where it grows in sandy habitat.
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 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.
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.
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 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 lentiginosus var. iodanthus, synonym Astragalus iodanthus, is a variety of Astragalus lentiginosus, a flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known by the common names Humboldt River milkvetch and violet milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, where its range includes California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. It grows on hills and in valleys in barren sandy and volcanic soils in habitat such as sagebrush.
Astragalus lentiginosus var. bryantii, synonym Astragalus bryantii, is a variety of Astragalus lentiginosus, a milkvetch in the family Fabaceae.
Astragalus utahensis, commonly called the Utah milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.
Astragalus cibarius, commonly called the browse milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.
Astragalus aquilonius, the Lemhi milkvetch, is a species of milkvetch in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Idaho.