''Astragalus canadensis'' is a common and widespread member of the
milkvetch genus in the
legume family, known commonly as Canadian milkvetch. The plant is found throughout Canada and the United States in many habitats including wetlands, woodlands, and prairies. It sends out several thin, erect, green stems, bearing leaves that are actually made up of pairs of leaflets, each leaflet up to 3 centimeters in length. It has inflorescences of tubular, greenish-white flowers which yield beanlike fruits within pods that rattle when dry.
Like other ''Astragalus'' species, ''A. canadensis'' is somewhat toxic, but it has been used medicinally by Native American groups such as the
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
and
Lakota people, particularly the roots.
Gallery of photos
Canadamilkvetch.jpg, With seedpods and blooms
External links
USDA Plants ProfileNative Plants of TexasEthnobotany
canadensis
Flora of Alabama
Flora of Canada
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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