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| Scientific Name | Astragalus agrestis | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASAG2 |
| Common Name | Field Milkvetch, Purple Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 25405 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | Burke Museum of Natural History Ref. | Click Here |
| Description |
Life zones and habitat: High Plains to montane (5000 to 10500 ft.); moist meadows, forests, along streams.
Plant: Perennial with numerous slender creeping to erect stems, 5 to 12 inches long. Leaves: Alternate compound leaves, 2 to 4 inches long, each with 11 to 19 elliptic to oblong leaflets 3/8 to 3/4-inch long. Inflorescence: Dense, oval-shaped racemes on short peduncles, up to 1 inch across and long; 5 to 15 erect pea-like flowers, each 1/2 to 3/4-inch long with pink-purple to blueish and white petals; calyx tube with grey or black hairs. Bloom Period: May to July. References: www.montanaplantlife.org and "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield. |
BONAP Distribution Map |
Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus alpinus var. alpinus | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASALA4 |
| Common Name | Alpine Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 192322 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Montane to alpine (7500 to 12700 ft.); often in moist areas (woodlands, meadows, around streams and lakes), aspen groves and on tundra, cold, dry, exposed areas.
Plant: Mat-forming perennial with weak, slender, hairy stems, very short or up to 10 inches long. Leaves: Pinnately-compound basal leaves 2 to 8 inches long; 15-25 leaflets, less than 1/4 to 3/4-inch long, oval-ovate to nearly round, slightly hairy surfaces. Inflorescence: Small racemes on peduncles 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, with 7 to 17 nodding pea-like flowers with white to purplish petals; each blossom less than 1/2-inch long; calyx tube with small black hairs. Bloom Period: June to August. References: "Guide to Colorado Wildflowers" by G.K. Guennel, "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield and SEINet. |
BONAP Distribution Map
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Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus flexuosus | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASFL2 |
| Common Name | Flexible Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 25517 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description | Life zones and habitat: Plains to montane (5500 to 10300 ft.); drier soils in meadows, and other open areas. Plant: Sprawling perennial less than 2 ft. tall with a tangled, vine-like appearance; several to many stems tending to recline with up-turned tips; herbage moderately hairy (finely strigose). Leaves: Odd-pinnately-compound leaves 2 to 3 inches long with each blade divided into 11 to 25 linear to oblong-lanceolate leaflets, 1/8 to 3/4-inch long; tips bluntly-rounded or with a small notch. Inflorescence: Loose racemes arising from the leaf axils on peduncles 1 to 2-3/8 inches long with 10 to 30 pea-like blossoms; corollas are whitish to pale purple, 3/8 to 5/8 inch long on a very short stalk; the calyx tube has fine hairs and is less than 1/4-inch long with pointed lobes Bloom Period: May to August. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, Minesota Wildflowers and Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources. |
BONAP Distribution Map |
Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus gracilis | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASGR3 |
| Common Name | Slender Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 25528 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description | Life zones and habitat: Plains and foothills (3500 to 6500 ft.); often calcareous soils on open prairies, wooded or brushy hillsides, ravines, and roadsides. Plant: Erect, ascending, or decumbent, 1 or more branched weak stems 6 to 16 inches long; stems covered with fine, short, appressed hairs. Leaves: Odd-pinnately-compound leaves 3/4 to 2-3/4 inches long with each blade divided into 9 to 17 narrowly-linear or linear-oblong widely separated leaflets, 1/4 to 3/4-inch long, less than 1/10 inch wide up to 3/8-inch long; upward-curled edges. Inflorescence: Loose spike-like racemes 2 to 8 inches long with 3 to 50 pea-like blossoms; corollas dark purple to pale pinkish or sometimes whitish with purple keel tips, fading to yellowish; banner often purple-veined. Bloom Period: May to July. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" by Correll and Johnston and Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses. |
BONAP Distribution Map |
Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus hallii | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASHA2 |
| Common Name | Hall's Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 25531 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Foothills to subalpine (7200 to 10800 ft.); dry, rocky slopes, woodlands, and meadows.
Plant: Ascending or creeping perennial with numerous slender stems up to 2 feet long. Leaves: Pinnately-compound leaves up to 4 inches long, each with 11 or more small elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate leaflets less than 1/4 to about 1/2-inch long with rounded tips; blades folded nearly in half. Inflorescence: Small racemes of 10 or more purple-to-lavender/white pea-like flowers; calyx tube reddish to purple with grey or black hairs. Bloom Period: June to August. References: www.americansouthwest.net, Wildflowers of Peak 7 and "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield. |
BONAP Distribution Map
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Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus laxmannii var. robustior | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASLAR |
| Common Name | Prairie Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 566195 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Plains to subalpine (4000 to 10500 ft.); sandy soils and rock outcrops in prairies, open forests and mountain meadows. Plant: Erect, tufted or decumbent perennial with numerous stems 4 to 12 inches tall. Leaves: Alternate, , pinnately-compound leaves 1-1/2 to 6 inches long, each with 11 to 21 narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to oblong leaflets 3/8 to 1 inch long; upper surface smooth or covered with appressed hairs, lower surface hairy. Inflorescence: Dense, head-like or spike-like raceme arising on stalks 2 to 6 inches long from leaf axils; head with 15 to 50 short-stalked, ascending, pea-like flowers with blue-lavender to white corollas, 1/2 to almost 3/4-inch long; calyces have appressed black and white hairs, and sharply-pointed teeth from 1/3 as long to as long as the calyx tubes. Bloom Period: June to August. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield and E-Flora-BC. |
BONAP Distribution Map
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Colorado Status: Native |
| Scientific Name | Astragalus shortianus | USDA PLANTS Symbol | ASSH3 |
| Common Name | Short's Milkvetch | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 25678 |
| Family | Fabaceae (Pea) | SEINet Reference |
Click Here |
| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Plains and foothills (4500 to 9800 ft); dry, gravelly areas, shrublands, grasslands, rocky slopes. Plant: Short perennial up to 6 inches tall; inflorence supported on peduncles rather than stems. Leaves: Pinnately-compound leaves with 9 to 17 obovate leaflets 1/4 to 3/4-inch long, densely covered with silver hairs. Inflorescence: Small racemes of purple pea-like flowers in a hairy cluster on peduncles 1 to 6 inches long. Bloom Period: April to June. References: www.easterncoloradowildflowers.com, Montana Field Guides and "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield |
BONAP Distribution Map
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Colorado Status: Native |
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