'' Astragalus mollissimus'' (common name - wooly locoweed) is a
perennial plant in the
legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
family (
) found in the
Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.
[Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ]
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.][ Pinnate leaves are from long, with 15–35 elliptical to oval 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
Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to:
Biology
* Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...
with 5 pointed teeth, around a corolla
Corolla may refer to:
*Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit
*Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name
* Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown
* ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...
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
Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid. It is a potent inhibitor of Golgi alpha-mannosidase II, an immunomodulator, and a potential chemotherapy drug. As a toxin in locoweed (likely its primary toxin) it also is a significant cause of economi ...
, formerly known as locoine.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5601505
mollissimus