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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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| TUFTED MILKVETCH | ||
| LATIN NAME: Astragalus spatulatus | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Tufted milkvetch is a very small, tufted plant that grows from a woody taproot. The plants are generally less than 10 cm tall. The short stem is covered by overlapping stipules. The leaves are unusual for this family in that they are simple, or with only one or two pairs of leaflets. The leaves are covered in silvery hairs. The inflorescence is made of one to 11 flowers. The flowers are pink or purple or rarely light yellowish-purple. The pod is stalkless and becomes papery as it matures. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Tufted milkvetch grows on exposed eroded, short-grassland slopes, hilltops and plains. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This species is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in Cypress Upland and Mixed Grassland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Tufted milkvetch is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is uncommon. This species appears to be secure, with numerous localities; however, it is restricted to the southwestern corner of the province. Local population sizes vary. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CREAMY MILKVETCH | ||
| * Are the plants less than 10 cm tall? * Are the leaves simple or with only one or two pairs of leaflets? * Are the petals pink or purple? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found tufted milkvetch! | ||
