Browse Milkvetch

Xylophacos cibarius (Sheldon) Rydb. Bull. Torrey Club 40:48. 1913.
Astragalus iodanthus (form) S. Wats. Bot. King's Expl. 71. 1871.
Astragalus iodanthus M. E. Jones, Zoe 3: 294. 1893. Not A. iodanthus S. Wats. 1871.
Astragalus cibarius Sheldon, Minn. Bot. Stud. 1: 149. 1894.
Astragalus arietinus M. E. Jones, Proc Calif. Acad. II. 5: 653. 1895.
Astragalus Webberi cibarius M. E. Jones, Contr. W. Bot. 10: 87. 1902.
A perennial, with a cespitose caudex; stems 1.5-3 dm. long, decumbent and spreading, striate, sparingly strigose; leaves 6-9 cm. long; stipules large, ovate or deltoid, ciliate, erect; leaflets 11-17, obovate-oblong to orbicular, obtuse to retuse, glabrate above, strigose beneath, 5-10 mm. long; peduncles 8-11 cm. long; racemes 8-12-flowered, short; bracts lanceolate, scarious, 5 mm. long; calyx black-hairy, the tube 5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla ochroleucous and purple, about 15 mm. long; banner obovate, strongly bent at the middle, slightly retuse; wings slightly shorter, the blades oblanceolate-oblong, with a large rounded auricle; keel-petals broadly lunate, rounded at the apex; pod lanceolate in outline, acute at each end, 2.5-4 cm. long, about 1 cm. wide, sparingly strigose or glabrate in age, crossreticulate, arcuate, obcompressed and often sulcate on the lower suture.
Tyte locality: Utah Valley, Utah. Distribution: Montana to Utah and Colorado.

Xylophacos cuspidocarpus (Sheldon) Rydb. Bull. Torrey Club 40: 48. 1913.
.4 stragalus cuspidocarpus Sheldon. Minn. Bot. Stud. 1: 147. 1894.
Astragalus thermalis Greene, Erythea 3: 76. 1895.
Astragalus missouriensis cuspidocarpus M. E. Jones, Rev. Astrag. 213. 1923.
A perennial, with a woody eaudex; stems 1-2 dm. long, spreading, sparingly canescent; leaves 4—8 cm. long; stipules large, membranous, deltoid; leaflets 11-17, obovate to oblong, 8-12 mm. long, 4-8 mm. wide, rounded to retuse at the apex, strigose beneath, glabrate above; peduncles 5-8 cm. long; racemes short, 7-9-flowered; calyx strigose with blackish hairs, the tube nearly 4 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 2 mm. long; corolla 15-20 mm. long, ochroleucous or lemon-yellow, tinged with purple, closely resembling that of A. cibarius; pod 2-2.5 cm. long, 8 mm. wide, coriaceous, glabrate or sparingly strigose, arcuate, obcompressed, cross-reticulate.
Type locality: Grafton, Montana. Distribution: Montana and Wyoming.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Stems hairs pilose or spreading, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules connate to each other, forming a tuber or sheath, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit humistrate, lying on the ground, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black, < br> Astragalus cibarius Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Stipules clasping stem at the base, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yell ow streaks or spots, Banner petal narrow or oblanceolate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit humistrate, lying on the ground, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit strongly curved, falcate, bent, or lunate, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.

Astragalus cibarius, commonly called the browse milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.

It is native to western North America, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. It is a widespread and common species, found in valley floors, plains, and foothills. It is particularly associated with sagebrush, which it often grows under.

It is a perennial that produces pink-purple and white colored flowers in the spring.