LEGUMINOSAE PULSE FAMILY 
MILK VETCH 
Astragalus canadensis L. 
There are many species of Milk Vetch but most of them are 
northern and western plants and only a few occur in Illinois. 
This is the one most frequently found in the state, although it 
is nowhere very common. 
It grows in rather dry or 
gravelly soil along railroads 
and in other open places 
SS 
Ms 
from Quebec, Saskatchewan WA, 
and Nebraska to Georgia, \ VA, 
Louisiana and Utah. 
This plant is an erect, 
branching, smooth or | t/ 
slightly hairy herb 1-5 feet SS GE 
high. Its oblong leaflets are 
15-31 on each of the 8-12 AY 
pinnately compound, \ Mi 
short-petioled leaves. 
lied 
pz 
N 
Ss 
XK 
The flowers are greenish 
yellow or creamy, and very 
numerous in long dense 
spikes. They bloom during 
July and August. The 
calyx is tubular, its 5 teeth 
nearly equal, and the corolla 
is long and narrow. The 
standard is about the same 
length as the 2 oblong wing 
petals, or slightly longer, 
and the keel may be a little shorter. Nine of the 10 stamens are 
united and 1 is free. The pistil matures into a several-seeded 
pod which is oblong, cylindrical, smooth and nearly straight. 
The Ground Plum, Astragalus mexicanus A. DC., is sometimes 
found on prairies and other open places in this state. It grows 
only 6-15 inches high and branches from the base. The leaflets 
are about the same number as in the Milk Vetch. This species 
blooms in late April and May and the flowers are creamy with 
bluish tips. The unripe fruits resemble green Plums and are 
edible raw or cooked. They are frequently collected by prairie 
dogs for their winter store. 
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