Astragalus
Astragalus praelongus Fabaceae Family ( Pea ) Astragalus. Also called Locoweed, Rattleweed, Stinking Milkvetch, or Milk Vetch.
The Astragalus genus is very large and complex. World-wide there are about 1600 species. Hundreds of thes species are in the Western United States. There are over 100 species in Arizona. They are considered very hard to identify.
In Arizona, we are often considered to be very lucky just to identify them as an Astragalus. It is the seed pod, not the flower, that is often crucial in the identification process.
Poisonous species of Astragalus are known as locoweeds. Others are known as Milkvetch.
Astragalus praelongus is a stout, erect perennial.
Height: Up To 48" Tall. Most are about 12 inches to 24 inches.
Flowers: Cream Colored, pealike, drooping to 7/8 inch long, in raceme to 3 inches long. They are followed by a white, inflated pod about 1/2 inch wide and 1 1/2 inch long..
Blooming Time: May - august.
Leaves: Gray-green to 6 inches long with 11 - 27 elliptical leaflets each about 3/4 inch long and slightly curved upward..
Seeds: Seedpods 1 1/2 - 3" long, 3/8 - 1/2" in diameter; a cylindrical pod; short-pointed at ends, dark brown or black, hard; maturing in summer, remaining attached, often opening late; many elliptical flattened shiny brown; seeds.
Found: Statewide. Very common low water use landscaping plant in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
Elevation: 2,800 Feet - 6500 Feet.
Habitat: Found in selenium-rich clays, silts, and sandy soil of plains and desert.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken May 16, 2005 near Hillside.
