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.

Astragalus drummondii

Drummond's Milkvetch
Astragalus drummondii

Family: Pea (Fabaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: June 23, 2007
Location: Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Dry meadows, slopes

Grows to 2 feet with a stout hairy stem. Leaves are silvery and hairy.

Astragalus cicer

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.

Astragalus praelongus

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.

Astragalus praelongus

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.

Astragalus lonchocarpus

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.

Astragalus tenellus

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.

Astragalus bisulcatus v. haydenianus

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.

Astragalus miser

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.

Astragalus rafaelensis

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.arrow

Astragalus rafaelensis

 

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.

White/Cream Long Clusters