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Astragalus (Buffalo pea ; rattle pod. Fig. 3). Herbaceous 

 perennials, with pinnate leaves and usually conspicuous bean-like 

 flowers, the pods becoming inflated when ripe. The genus is one 

 of which there are about 100 American species distributed through- 

 out the United States, the greatest number occurring in the prairie 



FK;. 2. Peanut (Amchis 



and Rocky Mountain regions. Some of the species are, from their 

 wide distribution and number of individuals, of great value on the 

 native pastures of the west. Perhaps the most important of these 

 are : A. hypoglottis, rattle pod ; A, caryocarpus, the buffalo pea and 

 buffalo clover of the plainsman ; A. canadcnsis, Canada milk vetch ; 

 and A. adsurgens. The buffalo pea has fleshy pods, which are 



