Astragalus mollissimus
Astragalus mollissimus (common name - wooly locoweed) is a perennial plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.[1]:121
| Astragalus mollissimus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Astragalus |
| Species: | A. mollissimus |
| Binomial name | |
| Astragalus mollissimus Torr. | |
Description
Growth pattern
It is hairy a perennial plant growing from 2 to 34 inches (5.1 to 86.4 cm) tall, from a very short stem.[1]:121
Leaves and stems
It has hairy stems and leaves.[1]:121 "Mollissumus" means "most soft", referring to the hairy covering of the leaves and stems.[1]:121 Compound pinnate leaves are from 3⁄4 to 11 inches (1.9 to 27.9 cm) long, with 15–35 elliptical to oval and wooly leaflets.[1]:121
Inflorescence and fruit
It blooms from March to August.[1]:121 The inflorescence are from 3⁄4 to 10 inches (1.9 to 25.4 cm) stalks with 7–20 flowers per stalk.[1]:121 Each pink to purple or bicolored with white flower has a 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (0.64 to 1.27 cm) hairy calyx with 5 pointed teeth, around a 3⁄4 inch (1.9 cm) corolla with upper petal flares at the end.[1]:121 1⁄3 to 1 inch (0.85 to 2.54 cm) seed pods are egg shaped and densely hairy.[1]:121
Habitat and range
It grows from grasslands to Pinyon juniper woodland communities ranging from Wyoming to Arizona.[1]:121
Ecological and human interactions
The plant derives its common name from its wooly stems and leaves, and its effect on the nervous system of livestock which consume it, causing them to "go loco." This is caused by an alkaloid it contains called swainsonine, formerly known as locoine.[2][3] The plant is toxic both fresh and dried, and in addition to its effects on the nervous system, can also cause congenital defects and liver damage.[2]
References
- Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7
- "Woolly Locoweed". Guide to Poisonous Plants. College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Colorado State University. 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- Fraps, G. S.; Carlyle, E. C. (November 1936). "Locoine, the poisonous principle of locoweed, Astragalus earlei". Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin (537). Retrieved 24 November 2018 – via FDA Poisonous Plant Database.