Astragalus (milkvetch, locoweed)

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About Astragalus (milkvetch, locoweed)

One of the most fascinating groups of plants out there is the Astragalus genus. It occurs in the northern hemispere worldwide and has over 2,000 recognized species. There are 236 species in North America. Also called milkvetch and locoweed, it has been blamed for poisoning livestock as well as being used in medicinally in China for thousands of years. Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus mongholicus are the two species most commonly used for boosting the immune system, and treating common colds and heart disease.

Astragalus are extremely difficult to identify, and having a source with multiple photos of the species would help tremendously. Contribute to what hopefully will be a useful resource. Please include the following tags to your photo when adding to the pool-

Species name
Flower Color
State, Province, Prefecture, ect...
Country

Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Rosidae
Order Fabales
Family Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus Astragalus L. – milkvetch

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASTRA