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 TWO-GROOVE
MILK-VETCH Astragalus bisulcatus This tall, erect,
many-stemmed perennial herb ascends one to two feet from woody
taproots. The white to violet pealike flowers bend downward
and are arranged in long, showy clusters or racemes. The leaves
are pinnately divided into nine to 25 linear to elliptic leaflets,
the upper surface of which are covered with fine, white hairs.
The pendulous pods are nearly a half-inch long, with two grooves
along the upper surface. HABITAT/RANGE: Typically occurs on
alkaline soils of sagebrush deserts and grasslands. It is found
mostly along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, from
Alberta to Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico. Blooms during May
to August. FACTS/USES: The specific name means two-grooved.
This species is one of the worst stock-poisoning plants in the
West. It often grows on alkali soils where selenium is present
and absorbs this poisonous element into the foliage. If selenium
is absent, the plant is palatable.
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 THISTLE
MILK-VETCH Astragalus kentrophyta Thistle milk-vetch
forms a very low cushion or mat of spiny, stiff leaves. Small
pealike flowers with purptish banners are partly hidden among
the foliage, and each flower stem supports one to three flowers
in a raceme. The leaves are pinnately divided into five to 11
linear to elliptic, silvery-strigose leaflets with sharp-pointed
to spinose apexes. The smalt half-inch-long seed pod has one to
four seeds. HABITAT/RANGE: This species inhabits a variety of
habitats, from sandy deserts and badlands to alpine ridges and
talus slopes. It is distributed from southern Alberta to the Dakotas,
south to Nebraska, Colorado and central California. Flowers early
to late summer. FACTS/USES: The Astragalus genus is a large
group of diverse plants with some members having nearly identical
appearance, making identification dependent upon technical features-usually
the developed pods.
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 PURSH'S MILK-VETCH Astragalus purshii Pursh's milk-vetch is
a low, tufted, grayish-green plant. The compound leaves are nearly
the same length as the flowering stalks, giving the flowers, and
later the pods, a nestled appearance among the leaves. The leaves
are pinnately divided into seven to 10 round to acute leaflets,
which are covered with dense gray hairs. The flower stalks bearthree
to lOflowerson a raceme. Each pealike flower is white or yellow,
with a reddish tinge on the inner petals. The pods are short,
thick, curved and densely tomentose. HABITAT/RANGE: An inhabitant
of clay and gravelly soils of sagebrush deserts to lower-mountain
foothills, it is distributed from British Columbia to Alberta,
south to the Dakotas, New Mexico and California. Flowers mid-April
to July. FACTS/USES: The generic name is derived from the Greek
word, astragalos, and means ankle bone, referring to the
shape of the leaves or pod. It is a selenium accumulator.
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 AMERICAN
LICORICE Glycyrrhiza lepidota American licorice
is an erect, branching, perennial herb that ascends one to three
feet from thickened rhizomes. The pinnate leaves are comprised
of seven to 15 lanceolate leaflets. The yellowish-white flowers
occur in dense racemes, which rise from the leaf axils. Later,
the flowers will develop into burlike seed pods dotted with hooked
spines. HABITAT/ RANGE: Licorice usually is found in waste places,
silly river bottoms and other moist, low ground. It is distributed
widely throughout the West, from British Columbia to Ontario,
south to Texas, New Mexico and California. Flowers June to early
August. FACTS/USES: The generic name is derived from the Greek
words, glykys, for sweet, and rhiza, for root. The
specific name means with small scurfy scales and refers to the
stalked glands covering parts of the plant. The sweet, pleasant-tasting
roots can be eaten raw.
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 SWEETVETCH Hedysarum boreale Sweetvetch is a "bushy,"
highly branched perennial herb, one to two feet tall, with thin,
brownish papery bracts or stipules at the base of each leaf. The
leaves are pinnately divided into nine to 15 elliptic or oblong
leaflets. Each leaflet is hairless, with minute brown dots or
glands on the upper surface. The red to purplish-red pealike flowers
are arranged in long, showy racemes. The fruit is a flattened
pod, containing two to five seeds, with obvious constrictions
between each seed. HABITAT/RANGE: This species grows on dry, clay
soils of open or lightly shaded areas in sagebrush plains to aspen
belts. It is distributed from the Yukon Territory to Newfoundland
and south in our region to the Dakotas, New Mexico and Arizona.
Blooms in late spring or early summer. FACTS/ USES: The specific
name means northern. Sweetvetch, unlike locoweed, is not poisonous,
and the edible licorice-tasting roots have been used by Native
Americans.
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 SILVERY
LUPINE Lupinus argenteus Sky-blue flowers and
somewhat gray, hairy foliage distinguish this lupine. Several
varieties have been split from this species, and there is a wide
variation in leaf size and shape, with leaflets ranging from oblanceolate
to acuminate, and glabrous to densely grayish-hairy. The leaves
are palmately divided into five to 11 leaflets and generally are
bright green. Flowers are arranged in long spikes of small one-eighth-
to one-inch pealike flowers. HABITAT/RANGE: This mountain flower
of pine forests to subalpine ridges prefers moist soils. It is
distributed from central Oregon to Alberta, to the Dakotas, south
to New Mexico and northeast California. Flowers late June to early
August. FACTS/USES: The specific name means silvery. Lupines are
poisonous, especially the seeds, which contain alkaloids, but
poisoning mostly is limited to domestic livestock.
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 SILKY
LUPINE Lupinus sericeus Silky lupine is a perennial
herb that grows in large clumps one to two feet high. It is distinguished
by its pealike, light blue flowers, arranged in a dense terminal
raceme, and its hairy or silky palmate leaves. HABITAT/RANGE:
Silky lupine prefers dry soils of sagebrush deserts to lower montane
forests. It is distributed widely from British Columbia to Alberta,
south to New Mexico and California. Blooms June to early August.
FACTS/USES: The specific name means silky. The name "lupine"
is derived from the Latin name lupinus, meaning wolf. It
was believed that lupines robbed the soil of its fertility, which
is not true. On the roots are nodules with bacteria that fix nitrogen
that otherwise would be lost. Nitrogen is an important element
in the growth of all plants, and lupine actually provides extra
nitrogen, thereby making the soil more fertile for other plants.
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 YELLOW
SWEET-CLOVER Melilotus officinalis This is atall,
robust, highly branched biennial herb that grows up to 10 feet
tall. The small, yellow, pealike flowers are arranged along a
slender raceme. The leaves are divided into three lanceolate,
finely toothed leaflets. A closely related species, white sweet-clover (M. alba), is more widespread and important in the
West but is not as noticeable as the bright yellow species. HABITAT/RANGE:
Prefers waste and disturbed sites along roads and pastures. A
native to Europe, it first found its way west with early missionaries
and now is found over most of temperate North America. Flowers
May to October. FACTS/USES: The generic name is derived from the
Latinized form of an old Greek plant used by Aristotle around
Sparta and Troy. The Greek word, meli, means honey, and lotus is a kind of wild clover. This species is a favorite
of honeybees.
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 RABBIT-FOOT
CRAZYWEED Oxytropis lagopus This small, tufted
plant usually is covered with fine silky hairs. Lambert's crazyweed (0. lambertii), a Great Plains species, is very similar
in appearance. The distinguishing characteristic, however, is
in the attachment of the silky hairs. Lambert's has hairs attached
by their middle to a short stalk, while rabbit-foot has basally
attached hairs. The bright rose-purple, pealike flowers form dense
racemes borne at the ends of leafless stalks. The leaves are pinnately
divided into paired lanceolate leaflets. HABITAT/RANGE: This species
typically occurs on well-drained sandy or gravelly soils of sagebrush
plains to lower-mountain elevations. It is distributed from Idaho
to Montana and south to Wyoming. Blooms mid-April to August. FACTS/USES:
The generic name is derived from the Greek words, oxus, meaning sharp, and tropis, for keel, and refers to the
sharp beak at the tip of the lowest two united petals, or keel,
of the flower.
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 SILKY
CRAZYWEED Oxytropis sericea Crazyweeds resemble many
species of locoweeds (Astragalus). They usually can be
distinguished by their lack of stem leaves. This species is a
perennial forb that arises three to 16 inches from a deep, woody
taproot. White to yellowish pealike flowers are clustered in spikes
at the ends of leafless, flowering stalks. The grayish-hairy leaves
are basal, usually ascending from the rooterown, and are pinnately
divided into paired lanceolate leaflets. The fruit is a fleshy
pod, which becomes hardened and bonyasitmatures. HABITAT/RANGE:
It has a wide variety of habitats, from prairies to subalpine
meadows and ridges. Silky crazyweed is distributed from British
Columbia to central Idaho, northern Wyoming, south to Texas, New
Mexico and Nevada. Blooms May to September. FACTS/USES: The specific
name means silky. Extensive grazing of this species induces a
chronic poisoning called locoism.
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 MOUNTAIN
GOLDEN-PEA Thermopsis montana Mountain golden-pea
is a perennial herb that ascends one to three feet from woody,
creeping, underground rootstocks. The brilliant yellow, pealike
flowers are borne in a dense, clustered raceme. The leaves are
stalked and divided into three leaflets. A large, leaflike bract,
or stipule, is at the base of each leafstalk. After the flowers
mature, a one- to three-inch, dark-colored and densely hairy seed
pod develops. A closely related species, (T. rhombifolia), is very similar but does not grow as large and the seed pods generally
curve into a ring. HABITAT/RANGE: Golden-pea grows in relatively
dry soils but does best in moist bottomlands with rich loam soils
of the montane zone. Ranges from Washington to Montana and south
to New Mexico and northern California. Flowers late spring and
early summer. FACTS/USES: The specific name means pertaining to
the mountains.
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 LONGSTALK CLOVER Trifolium longipes This perennial herb
ascends four to 12 inches and often is rhizomatous. Dense flower
heads are borne on long stalks, which droop as the flowers age.
The purple, pink or yellowish flower heads are composed of small
pealike flowers about half an inch long. The leaves are palmately
divided into three narrow leaflets one-half inch to three inches
long. HABITAT/ RANGE: Longstalk clover typically occurs in moist
soils of wet meadows and along streams of lower montane valleys
and meadows to subalpine slopes. It is distributed from Washington
to Montana, south to New Mexico and California. Blooms late spring
to midsummer. FACTS/USES: The specific name means long-stalked.
Steeping the dried flower heads in hot water for a few minutes
makes a flavorful and tonic tea. Other uses include medicinal
use of the dried flowers for whooping cough and ulcers and use
of the seeds for bread.
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 BIG-HEAD
CLOVER Trifolium macrocephalum Big-head clover is a
very low-growing clover with distinctive, large, round heads of
deep pink and yellowish two-toned flowers. The flowers are one
to two inches in diameter and are borne on the ends of slender,
stout, three- to 10-inch stems. The leaves are palmately compound,
with three to nine leaflets, which are oval-shaped, thick and
have toothed margins. HABITAT/RANGE: Big-head clover prefers rocky
soils of sagebrush deserts to ponderosa-pine woodlands. Distributed
from central Washington to western Idaho and south to Nevada and
east-central California, it flowers late April to June. FACTS/USES:
The specific name means bearing large heads. The clovers can be
eaten raw but are difficult to digest and can cause bloat. When
cooked or soaked in saltwater for several hours, they can be eaten
in quantity and are very nutritious and high in protein.
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 RED
CLOVER Trifolium pratense Red clover is a perennial
herb that lacks rootstocks and grows one to three feet tall. It
has trifoliate leaves with broad, oval leaflets. The flowers are
in heads or spikes and are composed of 50 to 200 small, pealike
flowers varying from pink to purple. Bees are attracted to the
red color and the fragrant blossoms, and clovers have an economic
importance in the honey industry. The seed pods are small and
usually contain a single, small, kidney-shaped seed. HABITAT/RANGE:
Red clover often is found along roadsides, fields, fences and
other disturbed sites of lowland to mid-montane elevations. Introduced
from Europe, it has established itself throughout North America.
Blooms throughout summer. FACTS/USES: The generic name means three-leaved.
The specific name means of the meadows, referring to its preferred
habitat. This species is the state flower of Vermont.
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 AMERICAN
VETCH Vicia americana A smooth, trailing, or
climbing perennial herb with three to nine pealike, bluish-purple
flowers in a one-sided, loose raceme that originates from the
axils of the leaves. The leaves are pinnately divided into eight
to 14 hairless, oval or elliptic leaflets with the terminal leaflet
developed into a tendril. The fruit is a hairless, two- to several-seeded,
up to two-inch-long pod. HABITAT/RANGE: American vetch prefers
rich, moist, clayey soils of plains and foothills to aspen belts,
especially open, timbered areas with grassy meadows. This is a
widespread native plant distributed from Alaska to Ontario, south
to West Virginia, Missouri, Mexico and California. Flowers June
to early August. FACTS/USES: The specific name means American
and refers both to its wide distribution and the fact that it
is the best-known of the native vetches. Like other legumes, this
species possesses nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria
on the roots. |
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