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 

 from Quebec, Saskatchewan 

 and Nebraska to Georgia, 

 Louisiana and Utah. 



This plant is an erect, 

 branching, smooth or 

 slightly hairy herb 1-5 feet 

 high. Its oblong leaflets are 

 15-31 on each of the 8-12 

 pinnately compound, 

 short-petioled leaves. 



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 V^tch. 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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