Astragalus kentrophyta

Astragalus kentrophyta
var. tegetarius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Astragalus
Species:	A. kentrophyta
Binomial name
Astragalus kentrophyta A.Gray

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.

Description

This perennial herb is somewhat variable in appearance, especially across varieties. It is generally small and low-lying, growing in spiny mats or clumps. The short stems are hairy. The small leaves are made up of smaller oval-shaped or narrow linear, spine-tipped leaflets. The inflorescence bears one to three white to pinkish purple flowers, each less than a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, flattened legume pod 4 to 9 millimeters in length.

Varieties

There are several varieties of Astragalus kentrophyta species, including:

• A. k. var. coloradoensis (Colorado spiny milkvetch) - limited to Utah and Arizona
• A. k. var. danaus (Sweetwater Mountains milkvetch) - endemic to eastern California
• A. k. var. douglasii (Douglas' spiny milkvetch, thistle milkvetch) - limited to Oregon and Washington but possibly extirpated from the latter^[1]
• A. k. var. elatus (tall spiny milkvetch, spiny-leaved) - found throughout the western United States
• A. k. var. neomexicanus (New Mexico spiny milkvetch) - endemic to New Mexico
• A. k. var. tegetarius (mat milkvetch) - distributed throughout the western US
• A. k. var. ungulatus - endemic to Nevada

References

1. ^ "Astragalus kentrophyta Gray var. douglasii Barneby" (PDF). Field Guide to Selected Rare Vascular Plants of Washington. Washington Natural Heritage Program and U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management. 2005. http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/pdf/astken.pdf. Retrieved 30 March 2011. 

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Photo gallery: var. tegetarius
• Photo gallery: var. danaus

This Astragalus-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Astragalus Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Western United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of New Mexico Flora of North Dakota Flora of the Sierra Nevada region (U.S.) Flora of the Rocky Mountains Astragalus stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую Colorado shooting Bighorn sheep Look at other dictionaries: Astragalus kentrophyta — ID 8031 Symbol Key ASKE Common Name spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY Growth Habit Subshrub,… …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. kentrophyta — ID 8044 Symbol Key ASKEK Common Name spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution CO, MT, ND, NE, SD, WY Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. coloradoensis — ID 8032 Symbol Key ASKEC Common Name Colorado spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, UT Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. danaus — ID 8034 Symbol Key ASKED Common Name spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution CA, NV Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb Durat …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. douglasii — ID 8036 Symbol Key ASKED2 Common Name Douglas spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution OR, WA Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. elatus — ID 8038 Symbol Key ASKEE Common Name tall spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, UT, WY Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. jessiae — ID 8041 Symbol Key ASKEJ Common Name spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution ID, NV, OR, UT, WY Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. neomexicanus — ID 8047 Symbol Key ASKEN Common Name New Mexico spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution NM Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. tegetarius — ID 8049 Symbol Key ASKET Common Name mat milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb …   USDA Plant Characteristics Astragalus kentrophyta var. ungulatus — ID 8053 Symbol Key ASKEU Common Name spiny milkvetch Family Fabaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution NV Growth Habit Subshrub, Forb/herb Duration …   USDA Plant Characteristics 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”