bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Astragalus neglectus, or Cooper's milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northeastern North America.

Astragalus neglectus
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Astragalus
Species:	A. neglectus
Binomial name
Astragalus neglectus (Torr. & A.Gray) E. Sheld.
Synonyms
Astragalus cooperi A.Gray Phaca neglecta Torr. & A.Gray Tragacantha neglecta (Torr. & A.Gray) Kuntze

Description

Astragalus neglectus is a perennial, herbaceous plant growing 30 to 90 cm tall.[2] The alternate, compound leaves have 11-25 leaflets.[3] The 10 to 20 white or creamy flowers form a cluster arising from the upper leaf axils.[3] The fruit is in the form of an inflated pod.[3]

Etymology

The first published description of the species (as Phaca neglecta) was in A Flora of North America by John Torrey and Asa Gray in 1838.[4] The species is called Cooper's milkvetch after a William Cooper who discovered the plant described by Gray in 1856 as Astragalus cooperi (which ultimately was considered to be the same entity as A. neglectus).[5]

Distribution and habitat

The range of Astragalus negelctus is centred around the Great Lakes,[3] but it also occurs from Manitoba and South Dakota east to Massachusetts and Virginia.[6] It is rare throughout most of its range.[3] It is found in wet to dry, open, often rocky habitats, especially those that are calcareous.[7] Natural disturbance is required to maintain these open habitats.[2]

Conservation

Although ranked globally as apparently secure (G4), this species is considered to be a rare and potentially vulnerable species within most of the states and provinces it occurs.[1] It is classified as endangered in Wisconsin.[8] It was formerly considered to be at risk in Minnesota, but it was delisted after the discovery of numerous new populations in the 1990s.[3]

References

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