Astragalus oophorus
Encyclopedia
Astragalus oophorus is a species of milkvetch
known by the common name egg milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, mainly California
and Nevada
, though one variety can be found as far east as Colorado
. It is a plant of sagebrush
and other dry habitat.
is an array of 4 to 10 flowers each up to 2 or 2.5 centimeters long. The flowers are cream-colored or reddish purple with white tips. The fruit is an inflated legume pod, oval in shape and bladder-like, reaching 2 to over 5 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 egg milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, mainly 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...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada 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...
, though one variety can be found as far east as Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It is a plant of sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
and other dry habitat.
Description
Astragalus oophorus is a perennial herb with a stout, mostly hairless stem reaching up to about 30 centimeters in length. Leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and are made up of many oval to rounded 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...
is an array of 4 to 10 flowers each up to 2 or 2.5 centimeters long. The flowers are cream-colored or reddish purple with white tips. The fruit is an inflated legume pod, oval in shape and bladder-like, reaching 2 to over 5 centimeters long.
Varieties
There are several varieties of Astragalus oophorus, including:- A. o. var. caulescens - native to the western US from Nevada to Colorado
- A. o. var. clokeyanus - endemic to Nevada
- A. o. var. lavinii (Lavin's milkvetch) - native to Nevada and known from California