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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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| PURSH’S MILKVETCH | ||
| LATIN NAME: Astragalus purshii | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Pursh’s milkvetch is a densely tufted plant that is less than 5 cm tall. The stems and leaves are covered in silky and woolly hairs. The stipules are quite long and are membranous in texture. The leaves have five to 17 leaflets. The inflorescence is made of two to 10 flowers. The petals are yellowish-white, though the keel may be purple tipped. The pods are densely covered in long, silky hairs as well as woolly hairs. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Pursh’s milkvetch grows in eroded, short grassland and mixed prairie. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This species is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland, and Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Pursh’s milkvetch is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon and somewhat regionally restricted in the province. Local population sizes vary. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PURSH’S MILKVETCH | ||
| * Are the pods densely white-hairy? * Are the flowers yellowish-white with a purplish tinge? * Are the plants tufted? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? |
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If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Pursh’s milkvetch! |
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