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Groundplum Milkvetch - Astragalus crassicarpus var. crassicarpus
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Native Species Global Rank :
G5T5
State Rank :
S3S4
(see State Rank Reason below)
C-value :
Agency Status USFWS :
USFS :
BLM :
External Links
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Astragalus crassicarpus variety crassicarpus occurs predominately in central and eastern Montana. Plants grow in relatively common habitats such as grasslands, sagebrush steppe, and stoney soil under Ponderosa Pine stands. Populations appear to be stable and threats have not been identified. Current data on locations, populations, and threats would improve the ability to track the status of variety crassicarpus .
Details on Status Ranking and Review
Range Extent
Score F - 20,000-200,000 sq km (~8,000-80,000 sq mi)
Comment 173,312 square kilometers
Area of Occupancy
Score D - 6-25 4-km2 grid cells
Comment Plant occurs in 21 of the 30,590 4x4 square-kilometer grid cells that cover Montana.
Number of Populations
Score C - 21 - 80
Comment 24 observations are identified to variety crassicarpus, while other observations are only identified to the species-level.
Number of Occurrences or Percent Area with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity
Score C - Few (4-12) occurrences with excellent or good viability or ecological integrity
Comment 5 observations assumed of good viability based on descriptor of 'common'.
Threats
Score U - Unknown
General Description
PLANTS : A short, perennial forb that grows from a well branched caudex atop of a tap root. Plants are 5-40 cm and grow prostrate to ascending to erect with showy flowers and an inflated, round seed pod.LEAVES : Pinnately dissected, with 13-21 leaflets which are oblanceolate to linear. Leaflets have (basifixed) hairs which make the plant appear slightly grayish. The leaf sheaths (stipules) are 3-8 mm long, lanceolate, and not fused around the stem. The leaves are usually taller and surpass the inflorescence.INFLORESCENCE : A subcapitate to loose raceme arising from leaf axils with 5-20 flowers. Flowers are long, 22-30 mm, and either predominately purple or white with purple-tips. The banner petal is 22–30 mm long and moderately reflexed. The keel petal is 14–20 mm long. Sepals are 2-4 mm longs with black and/or white strigose hairs. crassicarpus or paysonii .
Diagnostic Characteristics
In Montana Astragalus crassicarpus var. crassicarpus has predominately purple flowers (petals). It is found on the Great Plains.var. paysonis has predominately white flowers (petals) with purple tips. It is mostly found in the western half of Montana.
Range Comments
Alberta to Saskatchewan south to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas (Lesica et al. 2012).var. crassicarpus is found on the Great Plains (Lesica et al. 2012); although specimens displayed on the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (https://www.pnwherbaria.org /) occur in central and eastern Montana.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 20
(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 and sagebrush steppe in the plains and valley zones of Montana (Lesica et al. 2012).
Food Habits
FRUITS
Ecology
POLLINATORS The following animal species have been reported as pollinators of this plant species or its genus where their geographic ranges overlap:
Bombus vagans ,
Bombus appositus ,
Bombus auricomus ,
Bombus bifarius ,
Bombus borealis ,
Bombus centralis ,
Bombus fervidus ,
Bombus flavifrons ,
Bombus huntii ,
Bombus mixtus ,
Bombus nevadensis ,
Bombus rufocinctus ,
Bombus ternarius ,
Bombus terricola ,
Bombus occidentalis ,
Bombus pensylvanicus ,
Bombus griseocollis , and
Bombus insularis (Macior 1974, Thorp et al. 1983, Mayer et al. 2000, Colla and Dumesh 2010, Wilson et al. 2010, Koch et al. 2012, Miller-Struttmann and Galen 2014, Williams et al. 2014).
References
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