Astragalus is a large genus of over 3,000 species[2] of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species.[3][4] The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names include milkvetch (most species), locoweed (in North America, some species)[5] and goat’s-thorn (A. gummifer, A. tragacantha). Some pale-flowered vetches (Vicia spp.) are similar in appearance, but they are more vine-like than Astragalus.
Description
Most species in the genus have pinnately compound leaves.[6] There are annual and perennial species. The flowers are formed in clusters in a raceme, each flower typical of the legume family, with three types of petals: banner, wings, and keel. The calyx is tubular or bell-shaped.[7][8]
Taxonomy
The genus was formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum.[9]
The name Astragalus is Greek, an old name for this group of plants which were believed to have a positive effect on goat milk production.[10]
Selected species
- Astragalus acutirostris – sharpkeel milkvetch
- Astragalus agnicidus – Humboldt County milkvetch
- Astragalus agrestis – field milkvetch, purple milkvetch, cock’s-head
- Astragalus albens – Cushenbury milkvetch
- Astragalus alpinus – alpine milkvetch, mountain locoweed
- Astragalus amphioxys – crescent milkvetch
- Astragalus ampullarioides – Shivwits milkvetch
- Astragalus andersonii – Anderson’s milkvetch
- Astragalus anemophilus – San Quintin Dune milkvetch
- Astragalus anisus – Gunnison milkvetch
- Astragalus annularis
- Astragalus anserinus – Goose Creek milkvetch
- Astragalus anxius – troubled milkvetch
- Astragalus applegatei – Applegate’s milkvetch
- Astragalus arrectus – Palouse milkvetch
- Astragalus asymmetricus – San Joaquin milkvetch
- Astragalus atropilosulus
- Astragalus austiniae – Austin’s milkvetch
- Astragalus australis – Indian milkvetch
- Astragalus azizi – Iranian milkvetch
- Astragalus barrii – Barr’s milkvetch
- Astragalus bernardinus – San Bernardino milkvetch
- Astragalus bibullatus – limestone-glade milkvetch
- Astragalus bicristatus – crested milkvetch, two-crested milkvetch
- Astragalus bidentatus
- Astragalus bisulcatus – two-groove milkvetch
- Astragalus boeticus – kaffevedel (Swedish)[11]
- Astragalus alopecurus
- Astragalus bolanderi – Bolander’s milkvetch
- Astragalus brachycalyx
- Astragalus brauntonii – Braunton’s milkvetch
- Astragalus breweri – Brewer’s milkvetch
- Astragalus californicus – California milkvetch
- Astragalus canadensis – Canadian milkvetch
- Astragalus casei – Case’s milkvetch
- Astragalus cavanillesii
- Astragalus cicer – wild lentil, chickpea milkvetch
- Astragalus cimae – Cima milkvetch
- Astragalus claranus – Clara Hunt’s milkvetch, Napa milkvetch
- Astragalus clevelandii – Cleveland’s milkvetch
- Astragalus coccineus – scarlet milkvetch, scarlet locoweed
- Astragalus congdonii – Congdon’s milkvetch
- Astragalus cremnophylax – Sentry milkvetch
- Astragalus crotalariae – Salton milkvetch
- Astragalus curtipes – Morro milkvetch
- Astragalus danicus – purple milkvetch
- Astragalus deanei – Deane’s milkvetch, Dean’s milkvetch
- Astragalus desereticus – Deseret milkvetch
- Astragalus didymocarpus – two-seeded milkvetch, dwarf white milkvetch, white dwarf locoweed
- Astragalus distortus – Ozark milkvetch
- Astragalus douglasii – Douglas’s milkvetch
- Astragalus ehrenbergii
- Astragalus ertterae – Walker Pass milkvetch
- Astragalus falcatus – Russian milkvetch, sickle milkvetch, sicklepod milkvetch, silverleaf milkvetch, Russian-sickle
- Astragalus filipes – basalt milkvetch
- Astragalus funereus – Funeral Mountain milkvetch
- Astragalus gambelianus – Gambel’s dwarf milkvetch, dwarf locoweed
- Astragalus gibbsii – Gibbs’s milkvetch
- Astragalus gilmanii – Gilman’s milkvetch
- Astragalus glycyphyllos – wild liquorice, licorice milkvetch
- Astragalus harbisonii – Punta Baja milkvetch
- Astragalus holmgreniorum – Holmgren locoweed
- Astragalus humillimus – Mancos milkvetch
- Astragalus hypoxylus – Huachuca Mountain milkvetch
- Astragalus inversus – Susanville milkvetch
- Astragalus inyoensis – Inyo milkvetch
- Astragalus iselyi – Isely’s milkvetch
- Astragalus jaegerianus – Lane Mountain milkvetch
- Astragalus johannis-howellii – Long Valley milkvetch
- Astragalus kentrophyta – spiny milkvetch
- Astragalus layneae – widow’s milkvetch
- Astragalus lemmonii – Lemmon’s milkvetch
- Astragalus lentiformis – lens pod milkvetch
- Astragalus lentiginosus – freckled milkvetch, mottled locoweed, speckled locoweed, spotted locoweed
- Astragalus lentiginosus var. iodanthus – Humboldt River milkvetch
- Astragalus lentiginosus var. pseudiodanthus – Tonopah milkvetch
- Astragalus leontinus – Tyrolean milkvetch
- Astragalus leptaleus
- Astragalus leucolobus – Bear Valley woollypod, Bear Valley milkvetch
- Astragalus limnocharis
- Astragalus limnocharis var. montii – Monti’s milkvetch
- Astragalus linifolius – Grand Junction milkvetch
- Astragalus loanus – Glenwood milkvetch
- Astragalus lotoides
- Astragalus malacus – shaggy milkvetch
- Astragalus microcymbus – Skiff milkvetch
- Astragalus miguelensis – San Miguel milkvetch
- Astragalus missouriensis – Missouri milkvetch
- Astragalus mohavensis – Mojave milkvetch
- Astragalus molybdenus – Leadville milkvetch, molybdenum milkvetch.
- Astragalus mongholicus – huang qi (黄芪/黃芪 huáng qí; běi qí 北芪) Mongolian milkvetch
- Astragalus monoensis – Mono milkvetch
- Astragalus monspessulanus – Montpellier milkvetch
- Astragalus mulfordiae – Mulford’s milkvetch
- Astragalus nevinii – San Clemente Island milkvetch
- Astragalus newberryi – Newberry’s milkvetch
- Astragalus nitidiflorus – Tallante’s milkvetch
- Astragalus nutans – Providence Mountains milkvetch
- Astragalus nuttallianus – small-flowered milkvetch
- Astragalus nuttallii – Nuttall’s milkvetch
- Astragalus obscurus – arcane milkvetch
- Astragalus onobrychis
- Astragalus oocarpus – Descanso milkvetch, San Diego milkvetch
- Astragalus oophorus – egg milkvetch
- Astragalus osterhoutii – Osterhout milkvetch
- Astragalus oxyphysus – Mt. Diablo milkvetch, Diablo locoweed
- Astragalus pachypus – thickpod milkvetch
- Astragalus panamintensis – panamint milkvetch
- Astragalus pauperculus – depauperate milkvetch
- Astragalus phoenix – Ash Meadows milkvetch
- Astragalus platytropis – broadkeel milkvetch
- Astragalus pomonensis – Pomona milkvetch, Pomona locoweed
- Astragalus proimanthus – precocious milkvetch
- Astragalus proximus – Aztec milkvetch
- Astragalus pulsiferae – Ames’s milkvetch
- Astragalus purshii – Pursh’s milkvetch, Woollypod milkvetch, woollypod locoweed
- Astragalus pycnostachyus – Marsh milkvetch
- Astragalus rattanii – Rattan’s milkvetch
- Astragalus ripleyi – Ripley’s milkvetch
- Astragalus robbinsii – Robbins’s milkvetch
- Astragalus sabulonum – gravel milkvetch
- Astragalus sarcocolla
- Astragalus scaphoides – bitterroot milkvetch
- Astragalus schmolliae – Schmoll milkvetch
- Astragalus shevockii – Shevock’s milkvetch, Little Kern milkvetch
- Astragalus sinicus – Chinese milkvetch, renge
- Astragalus sinuatus – Whited’s milkvetch
- Astragalus soxmaniorum – Soxman’s milkvetch
- Astragalus subvestitus – Kern County milkvetch
- Astragalus tener – alkali milkvetch
- Astragalus tennesseensis – Tennessee milkvetch
- Astragalus tidestromii – Tidestrøm’s milkvetch
- Astragalus tragacantha – Marseille milkvetch
- Astragalus traskiae – Trask’s milkvetch
- Astragalus tricarinatus – triple-ribbed milkvetch
- Astragalus trichopodus – Santa Barbara milkvetch, coast locoweed, Southern California locoweed
- Astragalus tuyehensis from Iran
- Astragalus tyghensis – Tygh Valley milkvetch
- Astragalus umbraticus – Bald Mountain milkvetch
- Astragalus webberi – Webber’s milkvetch
- Astragalus wetherillii – Wetherill’s milkvetch
- Astragalus whitneyi – balloon-pod milkvetch
- Astragalus zionis – Zion milkvetch
Ecology
Astragalus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including many case-bearing moths of the genus Coleophora: C. cartilaginella, C. colutella, C. euryaula, and C. onobrychiella feed exclusively on Astragalus, C. astragalella and C. gallipennella feed exclusively on the species Astragalus glycyphyllos, and C. hippodromica is limited to Astragalus gombo.[citation needed]
Uses
Traditional medicine
Astragalus has been used in traditional Chinese medicine over centuries to treat various disorders, but there is no high-quality evidence that it is effective or safe for any medical purpose.[12][13]
Phytochemicals and supplements
Extracts of astragalus root include diverse phytochemicals, such as saponins and isoflavone flavonoids, which are purported in traditional practices to increase lactation in nursing mothers.[14] There is no valid clinical evidence to indicate such use is effective or safe for the mother or infant.[14] Dietary supplement products containing astragalus extracts may not have been adequately tested for efficacy, safety, purity or consistency.[14] The root extracts of astragalus may be used in soups, teas or sold in capsules.[12]
Side effects and toxicology
Although astragalus supplements are generally well tolerated, mild gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, and allergic reactions may occur.[12][14] Because astragalus may affect regulation of blood sugar and blood pressure, it may be risky for people with blood disorders, diabetes, or hypertension to use it as a supplement.[12] Astragalus may interact with prescribed drugs that suppress the immune system, such as medications used by people being treated for cancer or recovery from organ transplants.[12] Some astragalus species can be toxic, such as those found in the United States containing the neurotoxin swainsonine, which causes “locoweed” poisoning in animals.[12] Some astragalus species may contain high levels of selenium, possibly causing toxicity.[12] [15]
Ornamental use
Several species, including A. alpinus (bluish-purple flowers), A. hypoglottis (purple flowers), and A. lotoides, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ This may actually be a valid genus.
References
- ^ “Astragalus L.” Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ “Astragalus L.” Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ Frodin, David G. (2004). “History and Concepts of Big Plant Genera”. Taxon. 53 (3): 753–76. doi:10.2307/4135449. JSTOR 4135449.
- ^ Moonlight, Peter W.; Baldaszti, Ludwig; Cardoso, Domingos; Elliott, Alan; Särkinen, Tiina; Knapp, Sandra (2024). “Twenty years of big plant genera”. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291 (2023). doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.0702. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 11285793.
- ^ “Astragalus (Locoweed) flowers”. Rootcellar.us. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
- ^ Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 100. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
- ^ Xu, Langran; Podlech, Dietrich. “Astragalus“. Flora of China. Vol. 10. Retrieved 9 December 2018 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ “A Guide to the Common Locoweeds and Milkvetches of New Mexico”. aces.nmsu.edu. New Mexico State University. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ “Astragalus L.” ipni.org. International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
- ^ “Astragalus boeticus L.” USDA – Agricultural Research Service National Plant Germplasm System GRIN-Taxonomy. Beltsville, Maryland. 2018. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g “Astragalus”. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ Su, Guobin; Chen, Xiankun; Liu, Zhuangzhu; Yang, Lihong; Zhang, La; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Wen, Zehuai; Guo, Xinfeng; Qin, Xindong; Liang, Jueyao; Liu, Xusheng (1 December 2016). “Oral (Huang qi) for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infection in children”. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 (12) CD011958. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011958.pub2. PMC 6463872. PMID 27905672.
- ^ a b c d “Astragalus”. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 3 December 2018. PMID 30000951.
- ^ Ouazzani N, Lamnaouer D, Abdennebi EH (1999). “Toxicology of Astragalus lusitanicus Lam”. Thérapie. 54 (6): 707–10. PMID 10709444.
External links
- Astragalus – Genus of vascular plants
- Astragalus – Clinical summary and constituents, MSKCC Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
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