Astragalus mollissimus


Astragalus mollissimus is a perennial plant in the legume family found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.

Description

Growth pattern

It is hairy a perennial plant growing from tall, from a very short stem.

Leaves and stems

It has hairy stems and leaves. "Mollissumus" means "most soft", referring to the hairy covering of the leaves and stems. Compound pinnate leaves are from long, with 15–35 elliptical to oval and wooly leaflets.

Inflorescence and fruit

It blooms from March to August. The inflorescence are from stalks with 7–20 flowers per stalk. Each pink to purple or bicolored with white flower has a hairy calyx with 5 pointed teeth, around a corolla with upper petal flares at the end. seed pods are egg shaped and densely hairy.

Habitat and range

It grows from grasslands to Pinyon juniper woodland communities ranging from Wyoming to Arizona.

Ecological and human interactions

The plant derives its common name from its wooly stems and leaves, and its effect on the nervous system of livestock which consume it, causing them to "go loco." This is caused by an alkaloid it contains called swainsonine, formerly known as locoine. The plant is toxic both fresh and dried, and in addition to its effects on the nervous system, can also cause congenital defects and liver damage.