''Hedysarum boreale'' is a species of flowering plant in the

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, or legume family, and is known by the common names Utah sweetvetch,''Hedysarum boreale''.
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. boreal sweet-vetch,''Hedysarum boreale''.
NatureServe. northern sweetvetch,Johnson, D. A., et al. (1989)
Morphological and physiological variation among ecotypes of sweetvetch (''Hedysarum boreale'' Nutt.).
''Journal of Range Management'' 42(6) 496–501. and plains sweet-broom.
USGS Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in northern and western regions of Canada and the United States. The ssp. ''mackenzii'' can even be found in the

Canadian Arctic Archipelago The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark). Situated in the northern extremity of No ...

.Gillett, J. M., et al. (1999 onwards)
''Hedysarum boreale'' ssp. ''mackenziei''.
Fabaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 15 November 2000. This species is quite variable in morphology. There are several

ecotype In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype,Greek: ''οίκος'' = home and ''τύπος'' = type, coined by Göte Turesson in 1922 sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population, or race within a species, ...

s. In general, it is a perennial herb growing from a deep

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

with a woody stem base. It has

nitrogen-fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmos ...

root nodules. The plant grows tall. The hairless leaves are compound, divided into a number of leaflets. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a raceme of white, pink, or purple flowers. 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 containing kidney-shaped seeds.

Honeybee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmo ...

s pollinate the flowers.''Hedysarum boreale''.
USDA NRCS Plant Guide. This plant grows on well-drained

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

s as well as soils with clay and sand. It can grow on soils with moderate levels of

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

, and can tolerate a range of soil pH. In the wild it generally grows at

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

, between . This plant is sometimes added to seed mixes used for rangeland improvement. Its nitrogen-fixing ability improves soil quality. The plant is palatable to livestock and wild animals. It is an important component of

Sage Grouse Sage-grouse are grouse belonging to the bird genus ''Centrocercus.'' The genus includes two species: the Gunnison grouse (''Centrocercus minimus'') and the greater sage-grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''). These birds are distributed through ...

habitat. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

'Timp' is an improved plant line selected for its adaptability and seed production qualities. The plant can be used in

xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the process of Garden design, landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained accep ...

and as a seeded roadside flower. It is good for stabilizing soil. The wild plant was considered poisonous by some Native American groups, but it was utilized as a food source, particularly the roots,''Hedysarum boreale''.
University of Michigan Ethnobotany. which taste like licorice.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5697843 Hedysareae