White Milkvetch (9)
The Astragalus genus is very large and individual species are identified by their seed pod rather than their flower. Common names include Milkvetch and Locoweed, which is also used for the Oxytropis genus. Milkvetch can also be Pink or Blue/Purple.
Chickpea Milkvetch
Astragalus cicer
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Wild Lentil, Cicer Milkvetch
Photo taken on:
July 15, 2013
Location:
Almont, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Meadows, roadsides
Grows to 2 feet with hairless stems that may be erect but more often sprawling. Leaves are green. Flowers grow in a dense spike from the leaf axils.
Stinking Milkvetch
Astragalus praelongus var. praelongus
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 19, 2016
Location:
Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry areas, openings
Grows to 2 feet like a shrub with reddish stems and green leaves. Long-winged, tubular flowers droop in thick clusters. Seed pods are plump and sharp-tipped. The common name is because the plants absorb selenium which is stinky but the plants I have encountered smelled like peas.
Ellis' Stinking Milkvetch
Astragalus praelongus var. ellisiae
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 14, 2009
Location:
White Rock, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry areas, openings
Very similar to A. praelongus var. praelongus above. It is differentiated by narrower seed pods, less than ½" across.
Rushy Milkvetch
Astragalus lonchocarpus
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 14, 2009
Location:
White Rock, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry areas, openings
Grows to 2 feet with bright green stems and long, narrow leaves. Flowers are loosely clustered along the stem producing many spear-shaped 1" long seed pods.
Loose-flower Milkvetch
Astragalus tenellus
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Pulse Milkvetch
Photo taken on:
July 10, 2009
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Gravelly open areas, sagebrush
Grows 1-2 feet with many stems and narrow leaflets. Flowers grow in loose clusters along the stem. Pods are flat and mottled with dark red.
Two-Grooved Milkvetch
Astragalus bisulcatus
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Silver-leafed Milkvetch
Photo taken on:
May 26, 2019
Location:
Wet Mountains, Eastern CO
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Meadows, roadsides
Grows to 3 feet with a leafy, smooth stem and arching leaves. Flowers grow in long, dense, showy clusters and produce a slender seed pod with two prominent grooves. Can be white, pink or purplish.
Timber Milkvetch
Astragalus miser
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Weedy Milkvetch
Photo taken on:
July 3, 2011
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills and montane
Habitat:
Open slopes
Grows to 16" with sprawling stems. Similar to A. tenellus above but with larger flowers. Flowers are purple-tipped. Leaflets are narrow and spaced apart compared to A. tenellus. Pods are ¾" long and smooth.
San Rafael Milkvetch
Astragalus rafaelensis
Family:
Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
June 14, 2019
Location:
Espinosa Trail, Santa Fe NF, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Sandy, gravelly areas, washes
Grows to 18" high in a
dense, lush form about 24" across with long, very narrow, divided,
grass-like leaves. Some of the lower leaves are flattened, slightly
curled inward but the upper leaves are round in cross-section. Older
plants have a thatch of previous years stems at the base. Flowers are pure white,
about 1" long growing apart on stems above
the foliage with some leaves on the stem. Seed pods are ¾" long, flat and mottled
and hang down from the stem.
I identified this from the Colorado Rare Plant Guide which states that it only occurs in a few counties on the Utah/Colorado border so I contacted Al Schneider who passed it on to Stan Welsh, the Astragalus expert who confirmed my ID. Now it is a rare plant in New Mexico.
According to the Colorado Rare Plant Guide, the flowers could be purple-tipped and the seed pods pointing upwards.