Astragalus kentrophyta
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
Astragalus
Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
known by the common name spiny milkvetch. It is native to western North America from central to west Canada, to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. 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 inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
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 UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... - A. k. var. danaus (Sweetwater Mountains milkvetch) - endemic to eastern California
- A. k. var. douglasii (Douglas' spiny milkvetch, thistle milkvetch) - limited to OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington but possibly extirpatedLocal extinctionLocal extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from the latter - 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 NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...