Astragalus desereticus
Encyclopedia
Astragalus desereticus is a rare species of milkvetch
known by the common name deseret milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah County, Utah
, where it is known from only one population. It was thought to be extinct until 1981, when this population was discovered. The population contains 5,000 to 10,000 plants on an area of land covering less than 300 acres. It is vulnerable to damage from grazing
cattle
, which eat the plant and trample the soil, and from development and erosion
. This is a federally listed threatened species
.
This is a perennial herb with a short stem growing from a woody taproot
and caudex
unit. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long and are made up of several leaflets up to 1.4 centimeters long. The foliage is coated in silvery white hairs that make the plant pale in color. The inflorescence
is a raceme
of 5 to 10 flowers. Each is about 2 centimeters long and pinkish purple with darker tips on the petals. The fruit is a hairy legume pod about a centimeter long. The plant reproduces sexually
by seed and cannot reproduce vegetatively
.
This plant only occurs in the woodlands around Birdseye, Utah
. Its numbers are thought to have increased in recent years, and the threats to its existence are not as severe as once reported, so the plant may be removed from the Endangered Species List
.
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 deseret milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah County, Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
, where it is known from only one population. It was thought to be extinct until 1981, when this population was discovered. The population contains 5,000 to 10,000 plants on an area of land covering less than 300 acres. It is vulnerable to damage from grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, which eat the plant and trample the soil, and from development and erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. This is a federally listed threatened species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
This is a perennial herb with a short stem growing from a woody taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
and caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
unit. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long and are made up of several leaflets up to 1.4 centimeters long. The foliage is coated in silvery white hairs that make the plant pale in color. 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 raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of 5 to 10 flowers. Each is about 2 centimeters long and pinkish purple with darker tips on the petals. The fruit is a hairy legume pod about a centimeter long. The plant reproduces sexually
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
by seed and cannot reproduce vegetatively
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
.
This plant only occurs in the woodlands around Birdseye, Utah
Birdseye, Utah
Birdseye is an unincorporated community in southeastern Utah County, Utah located on the back of the Wasatch Range along U.S. Highway 89.Birdseye was settled in 1885 and originally named "Summit Basin" and later "Clinton". The present name "Birdseye" was chosen because of the nearby birdseye marble...
. Its numbers are thought to have increased in recent years, and the threats to its existence are not as severe as once reported, so the plant may be removed from the Endangered Species List
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
.