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Astragalus anserinus

Astragalus anserinus N.D. Atwood, Goodrich & S.L. Welsh

Goose Creek Milkvetch

Fabaceae (Pea family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: ASAN7

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

"Goose Creek milkvetch is a mat-forming perennial forb arising from a narrow taproot. The stems are 3 to 11 cm (1.2 to 4.3 in) long and lay prostrate on the ground." (webref: 53).

"Goose Creek milkvetch grows primarily on tuffaceous (a rock composed of the finer kinds of volcanic detritus usually fused together by heat) outcrops of the Salt Lake Formation in silty to gravelly sandy loam soils. The region of the Goose Creek drainage receives 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in) of annual precipitation." (webref: 53).

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: "Stems are 3 to 11 cm (1.2 to 4.3 in) long." (webref: 53).
Leaf: "The leaves are pinnately compound with 5 to 15 wooly tomentose leaflets. Each leaflet is 3 to 7 mm (0.12 to 0.28 in) long and oval in shape." (webref: 53).
Flower: "The flowers are 9 to 11 mm (0.35 to 0.43 in) long, pinkish purple and borne in clusters of 3 to 7 flowers per stem." (webref: 53).
Fruit: "The fruit is a claw shaped pod, 9 to 12 mm (0.35 to 0.47 in) long and 5 to 7 mm (0.20 to 0.28 in) wide, with 16 to 20 ovules. Fruit set in early June" (webref: 53).

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun
Bloom Notes: "Flowers... pinkish-purple. Goose Creek milkvetch plants flower from late May to early June." (webref: 53).

Distribution

USA: ID , NV , UT
Native Distribution: "Goose Creek milkvetch occupies an area approximately 32.5 km (20 mi) long and 6.4 km (4 mi) wide where the Idaho, Nevada, and Utah borders meet. Known populations occur in the Goose Creek drainage in Cassia County, Idaho; Elko County, Nevada; and Box Elder County, Utah." (webref: 53).
Native Habitat: "Goose Creek milkvetch occurs from 1,500 to 1,790 m (4,920 to 5,870 ft) elevation in sagebrush steppe plant communities. It can be found growing in association with Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), and needleandthread (Heterostipa comata)." (webref: 53).

Web Reference

Webref 53 - Natural Resources Conservation ServicePlant Materials Program (2020) USDA, NRCS.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Astragalus anserinus in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Astragalus anserinus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Astragalus anserinus

Metadata

Record Modified: 2020-12-07
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

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