Astragalus pycnostachyus
Astragalus pycnostachyus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name marsh milkvetch. It is endemic to the coastline of California, where it grows in wet saline habitat such as marshes.
| Astragalus pycnostachyus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Astragalus |
| Species: | A. pycnostachyus |
| Binomial name | |
| Astragalus pycnostachyus | |
Description
The marsh milkvetch is a perennial herb forming a thick erect clump of hollow, woolly stems 40 to 90 centimeters tall. The leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and are made up of many narrow oval-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence is a cluster of many whitish to greenish flowers each up to a centimeter in length.
The fruit is an inflated, papery legume pod with a small hooked beak at the tip.
Varieties
The species has two named varieties.
- Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus — Ventura marsh milkvetch,[2] now endemic to the Oxnard Plain in Ventura County, with only one population within Oxnard.[3] The single extant population of this rare plant variety is now fenced and protected. The variety is treated as an endangered species on the federal level.[4][3] Threats to its existence include near-total loss of habitat, infestation by weevils, cucumber mosaic virus infection, competition from non-native plants such as ice plant, and herbivory by the milk snail Otala lactea.
- Astragalus pycnostachyus var. pycnostachyus — marsh milk vetch, primarily found in the San Francisco Bay Area.[5]
References
- "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
- Calflora Database: Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus
- Center for Plant Conservation: var. lanosissimus Archived August 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- California Native Plant Society: Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus
- Calflora Database: Astragalus pycnostachyus var. pycnostachyus
External links
- Jepson Manual Treatment of Astragalus pycnostachyus
- Calflora Database: Astragalus pycnostachyus (marsh milk vetch, loco weed)
- USDA Plants Profile for Astragalus pycnostachyus (marsh milk vetch)
- Astragalus pycnostachyus — CalPhoto gallery
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