Astragalus iodanthus

Astragalus iodanthus
var. iodanthus

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Astragalus
Species: A. iodanthus
Binomial name
Astragalus iodanthus

Astragalus iodanthus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, known by the common names Humboldt River milkvetch[1] and violet milkvetch.[2] It is native to the western United States, where its range includes California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah.[2] It grows on hills and in valleys[3] in barren sandy and volcanic soils[4] in habitat such as sagebrush.[5]

This perennial herb produces several prostrate stems up to 40 centimeters long. The compound leaves are made up of 9 to 21 rounded or teardrop-shaped leaflets each up to 1.8 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers in shades of reddish purple or white to cream with a purple tip on the keel petal. There are up to 25 flowers in a raceme, and they are crowded when first blooming but spread out over time. The fruit is a legume pod up to 4 centimeters long, becoming dark, mottled, and papery to leathery with age.[6]

There are two varieties of this species:

  • var. diaphanoides (snake milkvetch) has a denser coating of rough hairs, particularly along the leaf edges and midrib.[4]
  • var. iodanthus is less hairy, having rough hairs mainly in the inflorescence.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Astragalus iodanthus. USDA PLANTS.
  2. 1 2 Astragalus iodanthus. NatureServe. 2012.
  3. 1 2 A. iodanthus var. iodanthus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
  4. 1 2 A. iodanthus var. diaphanoides. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
  5. ↑ A. iodanthus var. iodanthus. Calflora 2013.
  6. ↑ Astragalus iodanthus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.


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