Astragalus terminalis Wats. 



Railhead milkvetch 



DESCRIPTION: Railhead milkvetch is a tufted perennial herb with 

 several erect stems, 5-30 cm (2-12 in) high, from a taproot. The 

 pinnately compound leaves are 5-20 cm (2-8 in) long with 13-21 

 oblong leaflets that have blunt tips. Foliage is sparsely 

 covered with gray hairs that branch at the base and spread in 

 opposite directions appressed to the surface of leaves or stem. 

 Inflorescences are borne in the axils of upper leaves and have 

 10-30 spreading, crowded flowers that become more remote as the 

 plant matures. The white, pea-like flowers are 12-16 mm long 

 with a reflexed upper petal and a purple-spotted lower petal. 

 The calyx is covered with white or black hairs and is 4-5 mm 

 long. Glabrous, cigar-shaped fruits lack a basal stem, are 3- 

 sided in cross-section, and 15-20 mm long. The alpine ecotype is 

 much smaller than plants from the valleys. 



Astragalus terminalis is similar to A. scaphoides and A. 

 atropubescens but can be distinguished by the nearly sessile 

 fruits, while fruits of the other 2 species have stalks that are 

 3-2 mm long. 



GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 



Global distribution: southwest Montana, east-central Idaho, 

 and northwest Wyoming. 



Montana distribution: southern Beaverhead and Madison 

 counties. 



Sage Creek distribution: one small population occurs at the 

 base of badlands topography on the west side of Sage Creek. 



