ASTRAGALUSL.MILK-VETCH

ASTRAGALUSL. - MILK-VETCH

Scientific Description:

Annuals, herbaceous perennials, or unarmed or spiny shrubs. Leaves paripinnate or imparipinnate, rarely 1−3-foliolate; leaflets simple-or bifurcate-hairy; stipules herbaceous or glumaceous, conspicuous. Inflorescence a sessile or pedunculate spike or raceme, or flowers sessile in upper leaf axils forming a dense compound inflorescence, rarely flowers solitary. Calyx campanulate to tubular or lobed to the base, glabrous to densely simple-or bifurcate-hairy, equally or unequally 5-dentate. Corolla 3−50 mm, colour usually white, pink, purple or yellow; wings and obtuse keel usually shorter than standard. Stamens diadelphous. Fruit a variously shaped, longitudinally septate legume.

Public Description:

Astragalus, commonly known as “milk-vetch”, is a genus of annual or perennial herbs and spiny or unarmed shrubs, and is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. There are approximately 2455 species in the world and 441 species (496 taxa) in Türkiye. They have white, pink, purple or yellow flowers, and usually leaves arising from the base in which small leaflets are arranged opposite to each other. They are nutritious and important plants for grazing animals. The natural gum tragacanth is made from some milk-vetch species and is used in pharmaceuticals and foods as an emulsifier, thickener, stabilizer, and texturant additive.

References:

Anonymous 1 (2018). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astragalus, Accessed date: 05.02.2018.

Anonymous 2 (2018). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Leguminosae/Astragalus/,Accessed date: 05.02.2018.

Anonymous 3 (2018). https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/search/?q=Astragalus,Accessed date: 05.02.2018.

Aytaç Z, Ekici M, Akan H, (2012). Astragalus L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 427-456.