Astragalus iodanthus
| Astragalus iodanthus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| var. iodanthus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Astragalus |
| Species: | A. iodanthus |
| Binomial name | |
| Astragalus iodanthus S.Wats. | |
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
- ↑ Astragalus iodanthus. USDA PLANTS.
- 1 2 Astragalus iodanthus. NatureServe. 2012.
- 1 2 A. iodanthus var. iodanthus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
- 1 2 A. iodanthus var. diaphanoides. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
- ↑ A. iodanthus var. iodanthus. Calflora 2013.
- ↑ Astragalus iodanthus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.