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Montana Field Guide

Montana Field Guides

Two-grooved Milkvetch - Astragalus bisulcatus

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Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S5

Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
MNPS Threat Rank:
C-value: 3

External Links

 
General Description
Shrub-like perennial from a usually branched caudex. Herbage sparsely strigose. Stems erect, 20–70 cm, hollow at the base. Leaves with 15 to 23 narrowly elliptic leaflets, 1–2 cm long with rounded tips; stipules lanceolate, 3–6 mm long. Inflorescence dense with 20 to 80 nodding flowers. Flowers purple (white); sepals 1–4 mm long; calyx black- and/or white-hairy; banner becoming reflexed 10–15 mm long; keel 9–13 mm long. Legume 10–15 mm long, glabrous or strigose, linear with 2 grooves beneath, pendulous with a stipe 2–4 mm long (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Our plants are variety bisulcatus.

Species Range
Present
 


Range Comments
AB south to NM, ID, WY, NE and KS (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 63

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Grasslands, steppe, usually on clay soils; plains, valleys (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

References
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Citation for data on this website:
Two-grooved Milkvetch — Astragalus bisulcatus.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from