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Astragalus canadensis
Also called Canada Milk Vetch, Canadian Milk Vetch, Canada Milkvetch
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.
This species has three subspecies:
It is used as a food source of Acanthoscelides aureolus, a tiny weevil. Bumblebees, honeybees, and other bees use the plant for nectar. Deer, rabbits, and groundhogs can eat the leaves, unlike other species in the Astragalus genus. Colias alexandra is hosted by this milkvetch.
Like other Astragalus species, A. canadensis is somewhat toxic, but it has been used medicinally by Native American groups such as the Blackfoot and Lakota people, particularly the roots. The roots were eaten raw or boiled, and used in broth. The roots were usually gathered in spring and fall.
Astragalus aboriginum · Rogue River milkvetch · Sharp-leaved Milk Vetch · Sharpkeel milkvetch · Humboldt County milkvetch · Purple milkvetch · Cushenbury milkvetch · Astragalus alopecurus · Alpine milkvetch · Crescent milkvetch · Hermit Milkvetch · Anderson's milkvetch
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Astragalus canadensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
