WOOLLY LOCO 



Astra'galus mollis'simus 



W41 

 (2 leaves) 



Flowers pea-like, violet or purplish, 

 up to about 1 in. long, densely hairy- 

 bracted, almost stalkless, numerous, in 

 dense, short clusters (racemes) at ends 

 of mostly leafless, hairy stalks 4 to 12 

 in. long 



Leaves mostly basal, long-stalked, 

 densely long-silky-hairy, parted (odd- 

 pinnate) into many leaflets, all but 

 end one being in pairs 



Leaflets flat, egg-shaped or reverse- 

 egg-shaped to oblong, up to nearly 1 

 in. long, densely covered with yellowish, 

 silky hairs; lower leaflets larger than 

 upper 



Stemsr-short (less than 4 in. long), 

 densely covered with yellowish, silky 

 hairs 



Petals 5, dissimilar; upper petal (ban- 

 ner) almost oval, turned nearly straight 

 up near tip, with bent-back edges; 

 side 2 petals (wings) broadly linear, 

 almost as long as banner; lower 2 

 united petals (keel) boatlike, very 

 blunt-tipped, shorter than other petals 



Stamens 10, in 2 groups of 9 and 1 

 9 of them united by their stalks 

 (filaments) 



Pod (legume) narrowly oblong, nearly 

 erect, up to about 1 in. long, somewhat 

 curved, often sharp-pointed at tip, 

 more deeply grooved on. upper than on 

 lower surface, velvety-hairy when 

 young, smooth in age, 2-celled except 

 near tip 



Taproot perennial, \vith thickened, 

 woody, often branched root crown 



Woolly loco, sometimes called purple, stemmed, Texas, and true loco, 

 is a low, tufted, perennial herb poisonous to livestock. The common 

 name woolly is very appropriate because the plant is densely covered 

 with long, close (appressed), yellowish hairs. Loco is a Spanish 

 word, meaning foolish or crazy, and refers to the extraordinary 

 effects which these plants produce on the animals that consume them. 

 The word was first applied by the Spaniards and Mexicans to a dis- 



