Purple Milkvetch

Astragalus tarletonis Rydb. Bull. N. Y. Bot. Gard 2: 175. 1901.
A perennial, with a cespitose rootstock; stems ascending, 2-3 dm. high, angled, striate, sparingly strigose; leaves about 1 dm. long, spreading; stipules lanceolate, attenuate, sparingly strigose ; leaflets 1 7-29, elliptic to lanceolate or oblong, 10-15 mm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, sparingly strigose or in age glabrate, obtuse or retuse at the apex; peduncles 9-12 cm. long, sulcate; racemes dense, 3-4 cm. long; bracts oblong, 6-8 mm. long, mostly obtuse, black -hairy; flowers subsessile, ascending; calyx black -hairy, the tube 6 mm. long, the teeth subulate, of almost the same length; corolla purple, about 15 mm. long; banner obovate, retuse; wings shorter, the blade oblong-oblanceolate, equaling the claw, with a large auricle ; keel-petals still shorter, the blade broadly lunate, rounded at the apex, with a rounded auricle; fruit unknown.
Type locality: Five-finger Rapids. Yukon. Distribution: Yukon and Mackenzie.

Astragalus virgultulus Sheldon, Minn. Bot. Stud 1: 165. 1894.
Astragalus hypoglotlis bradealus Osterhout, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 256. 1899. Astragalus agrestis bradealus M. E. Jones, Contr. W. Bot. 10: 87. 1902.
A perennial, with a cespitose creeping rootstock; stems several, branching, glabrous or sparingly strigose, 1-2 dm. high, flexuous; leaves 4-7 cm. long, spreading; stipules oblong or lanceolate, 4-8 mm. long, green; leaflets 15-19, linear or oblong, obtuse or slightly emarginate, 1-2 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, glabrous above, sparingly strigose beneath; peduncles 5-6 cm. long, sulcate; racemes dense, 1.5-3 cm. long; bracts oblong or oblanceolate, 5-6 mm. long, obtuse or acute; flowers ascending, subsessile; calyx appressed-pilose, mostly with white hairs, the tube 6 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, the teeth subulate, 3-4 mm. long; corolla ochroleucous, 12-20 mm. long; banner oblanceolate or narrowly obovate, slightly retuse; wings shorter, the blade oblong, equaling the claw, with a large auricle; keel-petals still shorter, the blade broadly lunate, with a rather large auricle; pod obliquely ovoid, nearly 1 cm. long, 4 mm. wide and thick, densely long-hairy, deeply sulcate on the lower suture, deeply cordate in cross-section.
Type locality: Plains near Boulder, Colorado. Distribution: Northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

Astragalus agrestis Dougl.; (Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 148, as
synonym. 1831) M. E. Jones, Proe. Calif. Acad. II. 5: 646.
1895.
Astragalus hypogloltis & Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 148. 1831. Phaca agreslis Piper. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 11: 372. 1906.
A perennial, with a cespitose rootstock; stems decumbent at the base or ascending, 2-3 dm. high, flexuose, glabrous or nearly so, sulcate, sometimes tinged with purple; leaves 5-10 cm. long, ascending; stipules lanceolate, attenuate, 4-8 mm. long; leaflets 11-21, oblong, 1-2 dm. long, often emarginate at the apex, sparingly strigose on both sides; peduncles 7-10 cm. long; racemes dense, about 3 cm. long; bracts oblong, 4-5 mm. long; calyx strigose with white hairs, the tube 5-6 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 5-6 mm. long; corolla purple, 18-20 mm. long, similar to that of A. goniatus; mature pod not known, but the ovary long-hairy and the
pod probably similar to that of said species.
Type locality: Fertile plains of the Red River, Manitoba. Distribution: Montana and Manitoba.

Astragalus goniatus Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1: 330. 1838
Astragalus hypogloltis Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 148. 1831. Not A. hypogloltis L. 1753.
Astragalus hypogloltis polyspermia T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1: 328. 1838.
Astragalus dasyglottis Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1: 329. as synonym. 1838.
Phaca hypogloltis MacMill. Metasp. Minn. Valley 324. in part. 1892.
Astragalus agreslis M. E. Jones. Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 5: 646, in part, excluding synonym. 1895.
Astragalus agrestis polyspermus M. E. Jones. Contr. W. Bot. 10: 65. 1902.
Phaca agreslis Piper, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 11: 372, in part. 1906.
A perennial, with a cespitose rootstock; stems much branched, 1-3 dm. high, glabrous, or sparingly strigose; leaves spreading, 4-10 cm. long; stipules lanceolate, 4-8 mm. long; leaflets 13-19, linear to oblong, 5-20 mm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, sparingly strigose on both sides, or glabrous above, rounded or retuse at the apex, or those of the upper leaves sometimes acute; peduncles 4-12 cm. long; racemes dense, 2—4 cm. long; bracts lanceolate or oblong, 4-5 mm. long; flowers subsessile, ascending; calyx black -hairy, the tube about 6 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, the teeth subulate, 3 mm. long; corolla purple, 15-1 7 mm. long; banner obovate, retuse; wings shorter, the blade oblong, as long as the claw, with a large basal auricle; keel-petals still shorter, the blade broadly lunate, obtuse at the apex; pod obliquely ovoid, long-pilose, 8-9 mm. long, 4 mm. wide and thick, sulcate on the lower suture, deeply cordate in cross-section; seeds obliquely round-reniform, 2 mm. long.
Type locality: Rocky Mountains near the sources of the Platte, Wyoming. Distribution: Minnesota to Washington, northern California, and New Mexico.

Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, 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 twig s sparsely to densely hairy, 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 10-many, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals pinkish to rose, 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, Sty le terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit beaked, Fruit hairy, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.

Astragalus agrestis is a species of milkvetch known by the common names purple milkvetch, purple loco, and field milkvetch. It is native to much of western and northern North America from most of Canada to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern Asia. It grows in vernally moist areas such as meadows, and is often found in sagebrush.