Astragalus

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Astragalus (As-trá-ga-lus) is a large genus of about 2,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names include milk-vetch (most species) and goat's-thorn (A. gummifera, A. tragacanthus). Some pale-flowered vetches are similar in appearance, but vetches are more vine-like.

Read about Astragalus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Astragalus alpinus, Linn. Height 6-15 in.: lfts. 13-25: fls. violet, keel darker: pods 1-celled, black-pubescent. Northern and Arctic regions around the world. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Astragalus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Astragalus (ancient Greek name of some shrub). Leguminosae. Milk Vetch. Hardy herbs or sub- shrubs, now and then seen in plantings. Leaves mostly odd-pinnate, sometimes simple: fls. in spikes or racemes, yellow, purple or white; calyx tubular, its teeth nearly equal; petals clawed, the standard erect; stamens in 2 clusters, the anthers similar: pods fleshy, leathery or papery, not much swollen, as they are in the membranous-fegumed Phaca, the nearest relative. —About 1,500 species. Many kinds are cult, in the Old World, but those described below are the only kinds commonly sold in Amer. The loco-weed of the prairies, which is said to poison cattle, is A. mollissimus. For those below and many others, the student is referred to Britton and Brown's Illustrated Flora, Nelson's Manual of Rocky Mountain Botany, and Rydberg's Flora of Colorado. The botanical characters arc mostly found in the pods. Astragaluses prefer a light, porous soil and no shade. The dwarfer kinds may be placed in the front of the border or in the rockery. Propagation is chiefly by seeds, which germinate slowly, or by careful division in early spring. Many kinds are likely to die if divided or transplanted, as they are mycorrhizal plants, much dependent on a semi- parasitic organism, which is better left undisturbed. A. racemosus, Pursh. Zigzag, erect st.: lfts. 17-21: fls. yellowish in loose racemes. July. Plains of Cent. U.S. —A. Robbiniii, Oakes. Erect and glabrous: lfts. 9-25: fls. in loose racemes, white or purple: pods 1-celled, flattened. Suitable for rocky places. June, July. N. E. U. S.—A. Shortianus, Nutt. Silvery canescent: lfts. 9-15: fls. blue or violet: pods sessile, 1-celled, strongly curved upward. May, June. Plains of Cent. U. S. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Species

Selected species

Astragalus adsurgens Astragalus agrestis Astragalus alopecuroides Astragalus alpinus Astragalus angustifolius Astragalus arenarius Astragalus aristatus Astragalus atropilosulus Astragalus baionensis Astragalus barrii Astragalus bibullatus Astragalus bisulcatus Astragalus boeticus Astragalus canadensis Astragalus centralpinus Astragalus christianus Astragalus cicer Astragalus coccineus

Astragalus crassicarpus Astragalus danicus Astragalus depressus Astragalus echinus Astragalus eriocarpus Astragalus exscapus Astragalus frigidus Astragalus galegiformis Astragalus gilviflorus Astragalus glycyphyllos Astragalus gummifera Astragalus hypoglottis Astragalus lemmonii Astragalus leontinus Astragalus lusitanicus Astragalus lotoides Astragalus massiliensis Astragalus membranaceus

Astragalus missouriensis Astragalus monspessulanus Astragalus newberryi Astragalus norvegicus Astragalus nuttallii Astragalus onobrychis Astragalus penduliflorus Astragalus purshii Astragalus sempervirens Astragalus shinanensis Astragalus shiroumaensis Astragalus sirinicus Astragalus spatulatus Astragalus trichopodus Astragalus tridactylus Astragalus tragacanthus

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Astragalus. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Astragalus QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)