Astragalus nuttallianus
Encyclopedia
Astragalus nuttallianus is a species of milkvetch
known by the common names smallflower milkvetch and turkeypeas. It is native to the southwestern and south central United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat, often in dry areas.
This is an annual herb which is variable in appearance, especially across varieties. It produces slender, hairy stems which reach 4 to 45 centimeters in length. The leaves are up to 6.5 centimeters long and are made up of several oval-shaped pointed or round-tipped leaflets. The inflorescence
bears 1 to 4 white to purple or bicolored flowers, each less than a centimeter in length. The fruit is a legume pod 12 to 26 mm long.
There are several varieties of this species:
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 names smallflower milkvetch and turkeypeas. It is native to the southwestern and south central United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat, often in dry areas.
This is an annual herb which is variable in appearance, especially across varieties. It produces slender, hairy stems which reach 4 to 45 centimeters in length. The leaves are up to 6.5 centimeters long and are made up of several oval-shaped pointed or round-tipped 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...
bears 1 to 4 white to purple or bicolored flowers, each less than a centimeter in length. The fruit is a legume pod 12 to 26 mm long.
There are several varieties of this species:
- A. n. var. austrinus - distributed from CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia 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 OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
to northwestern Mexico - A. n. var. cedrosensis - native to the Sonoran DesertSonoran DesertThe Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
- A. n. var. imperfectus - native to the southwestern United States
- A. n. var. macilentus - native to New MexicoNew MexicoNew 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...
and TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - A. n. var. micranthiformis - found in the southwestern United States
- A. n. var. nuttallianus - known from the central US from KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... - A. n. var. trichocarpus - native to Texas and Oklahoma
- A. n. var. zapatanus - Texas endemic