Astragalus platytropis
Encyclopedia
Astragalus platytropis is a species of milkvetch
known by the common name broadkeel milkvetch. It is native to the western United States from Montana
to California
, where it lives at high elevation in alpine
and subalpine
plant communities. This is a very small perennial milkvetch which forms a small patch of very short silvery-green stems on the rocky ground. The leaves may be up to 9 centimeters long and are made up of several hairy leaflets. The inflorescence
is a head of 4 to 9 pale purple flowers, each just under a centimeter long. The fruit is a bladdery legume pod which can exceed 3 centimeters long.
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 broadkeel milkvetch. It is native to the western United States from Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
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...
, where it lives at high elevation in alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
and subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
plant communities. This is a very small perennial milkvetch which forms a small patch of very short silvery-green stems on the rocky ground. The leaves may be up to 9 centimeters long and are made up of several hairy leaflets. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
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...
is a head of 4 to 9 pale purple flowers, each just under a centimeter long. The fruit is a bladdery legume pod which can exceed 3 centimeters long.