''Astragalus mulfordiae'' is a species of flowering plant in the
known by the common name Mulford's milkvetch. It was so named after its discoverer
Anna Isabel Mulford.
It is native to the
Snake River Plain
image:Snake River view near Twin Falls, Idaho.jpg, The Snake River cutting through the plain leaves many canyons and Canyon#List of gorges, gorges, such as this one near Twin Falls, Idaho
The Snake River Plain is a geology, geologic feature ...
in
Idaho and
Oregon in the United States.
[''Astragalus mulfordiae''.](_blank)
The Nature Conservancy.
This perennial herb grows up to 25 or 30 centimeters tall with slender stems. The green or yellow-green leaves have several pairs of leaflets that vary in shape, the largest ones about 1.1 centimeters long. The
inflorescence is a
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of up to 20 flowers with white or cream-colored petals which may be striped or tinged purple. The fruit is a
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 ...
pod up to 1.6 centimeters long which contains up to 16 seeds.
[
This plant grows in the dry cold desert of the western Snake River Plain. The habitat is shrubsteppe or desert shrub ]communities
A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...
, where it grows alongside ''Purshia tridentata
''Purshia tridentata'', with the common name bitterbrush, is a shrub in the genus '' Purshia'' of the family Rosaceae. It is native to mountainous areas of western North America.
Common names include antelope bitterbrush, antelope bush, buc ...
'' and ''Stipa comata
''Hesperostipa comata'', commonly known as needle-and-thread grass, is a species of grass native to North America, especially the western third. It has a wide distribution spanning from northern Canada to Mexico.
Description
''Hesperostipa comat ...
''. Some populations appear better able to withstand disturbance than others. Some have been extirpated by overgrazing, while others tolerate the presence of cattle. Other threats include fire, off-road vehicle use, and the invasion of ''Onopordum acanthium
''Onopordum acanthium'' (cotton thistle, Scotch (or Scottish) thistle, not to be confused with ''Cirsium vulgare'' - spear thistle, which is also known as Scotch or Scottish thistle and is the national flower of Scotland. Spear thistle is nat ...
'', Scotch thistle.[''Astragalus mulfordiae''.](_blank)
Center for Plant Conservation
The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) is a not-for-profit organization consisting of a network with more than 50 institutions. The mission is to conserve and restore the rare native plants of the United States and Canada. CPC represents a netwo ...
.
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4811262
mulfordiae
Flora of Idaho
Flora of Oregon