Astragalus neglectus

Astragalus neglectus, or Cooper's milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northeastern North America.

Astragalus neglectus

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Astragalus
Species:
A. neglectus
Binomial name
Astragalus neglectus
(Torr. & A.Gray) E. Sheld.
Synonyms
  • Astragalus cooperi A.Gray
  • Phaca neglecta Torr. & A.Gray
  • Tragacantha neglecta (Torr. & A.Gray) Kuntze

Description

Astragalus neglectus is a perennial, herbaceous plant growing 30 to 90 cm tall.[2] The alternate, compound leaves have 11-25 leaflets.[3] The 10 to 20 white or creamy flowers form a cluster arising from the upper leaf axils.[3] The fruit is in the form of an inflated pod.[3]

Etymology

The first published description of the species (as Phaca neglecta) was in A Flora of North America by John Torrey and Asa Gray in 1838.[4] The species is called Cooper's milkvetch after a William Cooper who discovered the plant described by Gray in 1856 as Astragalus cooperi (which ultimately was considered to be the same entity as A. neglectus).[5]

Distribution and habitat

The range of Astragalus negelctus is centred around the Great Lakes,[3] but it also occurs from Manitoba and South Dakota east to Massachusetts and Virginia.[6] It is rare throughout most of its range.[3] It is found in wet to dry, open, often rocky habitats, especially those that are calcareous.[7] Natural disturbance is required to maintain these open habitats.[2]

Conservation

Although ranked globally as apparently secure (G4), this species is considered to be a rare and potentially vulnerable species within most of the states and provinces it occurs.[1] It is classified as endangered in Wisconsin.[8] It was formerly considered to be at risk in Minnesota, but it was delisted after the discovery of numerous new populations in the 1990s.[3]

  • seedpods
  • botanical illustration

References
  1. "Astragalus neglectus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  2. "Astragalus neglectus". Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Michigan State University. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. "Astragalus neglectus". Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. "Astragalus neglectus". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  5. Gray, Asa (1856). Manual of Botany of the Northern United States. New York: George P. Putnam and co. p. 98.
  6. "Astragalus neglectus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  7. Reznicek, A. A.; Voss, E. G.; Walters, B. S., eds. (February 2011). "Astragalus neglectus". Michigan Flora Online. University of Michigan Herbarium.
  8. "Cooper's Milkvetch". Wisconsin's Endangered Resources. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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