Astragalus neglectus

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Astragalus neglectus
Astragalus neglectus 1.jpg

Apparently Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Astragalus
Species:
A. neglectus
Binomial name
Astragalus neglectus
(Torr. & A.Gray) E. Sheld.
Synonyms
  • Astragalus cooperi A.Gray
  • Phaca neglecta Torr. & A.Gray
  • Tragacantha neglecta (Torr. & A.Gray) Kuntze

Astragalus neglectus, or Cooper's milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northeastern North America.

Description[]

Astragalus neglectus is a perennial, herbaceous plant growing 30 to 90 cm tall.[2] The alternate, compound leaves have 11-25 leaflets.[3] The 10 to 20 white or creamy flowers form a cluster arising from the upper leaf axils.[3] The fruit is in the form of an inflated pod.[3]

Etymology[]

The first published description of the species (as Phaca neglecta) was in A Flora of North America by John Torrey and Asa Gray in 1838.[4] The species is called Cooper's milkvetch after a William Cooper who discovered the plant described by Gray in 1856 as Astragalus cooperi (which ultimately was considered to be the same entity as A. neglectus).[5]

Distribution and habitat[]

The range of Astragalus negelctus is centred around the Great Lakes,[3] but it also occurs from Manitoba and South Dakota east to Massachusetts and Virginia.[6] It is rare throughout most of its range.[3] It is found in wet to dry, open, often rocky habitats, especially those that are calcareous.[7] Natural disturbance is required to maintain these open habitats.[2]

Conservation[]

Although ranked globally as apparently secure (G4), this species is considered to be a rare and potentially vulnerable species within most of the states and provinces it occurs.[1] It is classified as endangered in Wisconsin.[8] It was formerly considered to be at risk in Minnesota, but it was delisted after the discovery of numerous new populations in the 1990s.[3]

  • seedpods

  • botanical illustration

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Astragalus neglectus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Astragalus neglectus". Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Michigan State University. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Astragalus neglectus". Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Astragalus neglectus". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  5. ^ Gray, Asa (1856). Manual of Botany of the Northern United States. New York: George P. Putnam and co. p. 98.
  6. ^ "Astragalus neglectus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  7. ^ Reznicek, A. A.; Voss, E. G.; Walters, B. S., eds. (February 2011). "Astragalus neglectus". Michigan Flora Online. University of Michigan Herbarium. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Cooper's Milkvetch". Wisconsin's Endangered Resources. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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