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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE LEGUME FAMILY | ||
| The legumes are widely used as crop
foods around the world. Some well known examples are peas (Pisum),
peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), and beans (Phaseolus).
Some legumes are planted as alternate crops to restore nitrogen to the soil
with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots nodules. Other plants,
like the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), are used as ornamentals The legumes are herbs or trees. These plants have pinnately or palmately compound leaves. Rarely, the leaves are simple. Stipules, or a pair of leaf-like structures, are found at the base of the leaf. The flowers are in various types of inflorescences in the leaf axils and at the top of the plant, or the flowers are solitary. The flowers are usually irregularly shaped with five petals: the banner, two wings and two keels. The banner is the outermost petal and is often quite large. The wings are the next outermost petals and are found on the sides. The keel is made of two petals that often appear fused to create a boat shape. The legumes usually have 10 stamens, commonly in a diadelphous, or nine plus one arrangement. The fruit types in this family include the legume, such as the pea, or the loment, which is constricted between the seeds. In some legume species, modifications such as tendrils or thorns may be observed. |
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| YUKON MILKVETCH | ||
| LATIN NAME: Astragalus bodinii | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Yukon milkvetch has a woody taproot. This plant can grow upwards or along the ground. The stem is branched and often mat-forming. The stipules at the base of each leaf are fused. The leaves are odd-pinnate with seven to 15 leaflets. The leaflets are hairless above and have stiff hairs on the underside. The flowers are in loose, unbranched clusters that contain three to 15 flowers. The sepals are green, but have stiff, black hairs. The petals are light purple. The fruit is a pod less than 1 cm long that is covered in both black and white hairs. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| In Saskatchewan, Yukon milkvetch is found in open woods and clearings. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This species is found in east-central
Saskatchewan in the Churchill River Upland ecoregion. |
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| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Yukon milkvetch is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and highly regionally restricted in the province. Most local populations are small. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY YUKON MILKVETCH | ||
| * Are the pods less than 1 cm long? * Are the petals purple? * Do the plants have a distinct stem? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Yukon milkvetch! | ||
