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Astragalus nitidiflorus

Overview

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Extinct
Threat status

Description

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Family Fabaceae

The Fabaceae are herbs, vines , shrubs , trees , and lianas found in both temperate and tropical areas. They comprise one of the largest families of flowering plants , numbering 630 genera and 18,000 species. The leaves are stipulate , nearly always alternate, and range from bipinnately or palmately compound to simple . The petiole base is commonly enlarged into a pulvinus that commonly functions in orientation of the leaves (sometimes very responsively, as in the sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica). The flowers are usually bisexual , actinomorphic to zygomorphic, slightly to strongly perigynous, and commonly in racemes , spikes, or heads . The perianth commonly consists of a calyx and corolla of 5 segments each. The androecium consists of commonly 1- many stamens (most commonly 10), distinct or variously united , sometimes some of them reduced to staminodes. The pistil is simple, often stipitate , comprising a single style and stigma, and a superior ovary with one locule containing 2-many marginal ovules. The fruit is usually a legume, sometimes a samara, loment, follicle, indehiscent pod, achene, drupe, or berry. The seeds often have a hard coat with hourglass-shaped cells , and sometimes bear a u-shaped line called a pleurogram. [Carr]

Subfamily Faboideae

Mostly herbs, shrubs , or trees . Leaves pinnate or palmate to trifoliolate or apparently simple . Corolla usually, showy, zygomorphic, the petals imbricate, posterior (upper or banner ) petal outermost in bud. Stamens 10 or 9 + 1 (diadelphous ), not showy. Pollen released in monads . Seeds with u-shaped line (pleurogram) lacking. [Carr]

Genus Astragalus

Herbs, undershrubs or shrubs . Leaf paripinnate or imparipinnate , rarely unifoliolate or digitately trifoliolate ; leaflets entire, stipels absent; stipulate . Inflorescence racemose, spicate umbellate or solitary; peduncles generally axillary . Flowers bracteate ; bracteoles present or absent; pedicellate or sessile, violet or purple to white or pale yellow. Calyx tubular , teeth subequal . Vexillum ovate , obovate , oblong , panduriform or sometimes appendiculate Wing and keel generally with long claws . Stamens diadelphous , vexillary stamen free, rest (9) united , anthers uniform . Ovary sessile or stipitate , glabrous or pubescent ; style straight or incurved , stigma mostly terminal , sometimes penicillate . Fruit sessile or stipitate, 2-valved, unilocular , partly or completely bilocular by an intrusive membrane . Seed often reniform .

Astragalus is one of the biggest Angiospermous genera with about 1600 species widely distributed in the Old and the New World. In Pakistan it is represented by about 135 species.[1]

Physical Description

Habit: Herb • Climbing: Not Climbing

Habitat

Ecology: This perennial herb grew in herbaceous habitats and thicket gaps between 0 and 200 m above sea level.


List of Habitats:3.8Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Misapplied Names

  1. Astragalus suberosus Banks & Sol.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Podlech D., 1996

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Astragalus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 4212 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. aaronii · A. abbreviatus · A. abditus · A. abnormalis · A. abolinii · A. aboriginorum · A. aboriginum (Indian Milk-Vetch) · A. aboriginum var. aboriginum (Indian Milk-Vetch) · A. aboriginum var. lepagei · A. aboriginum var. richardsonii · A. abruptus · A. absconditus · A. absentivus · A. atropilosulus subsp. burkeanus · A. acalycosus · A. acantherioceras · A. acanthocarpus · A. acanthochristianopsis · A. acanthostachys · A. acaulis · A. accidens (Rogue River Milk-Vetch) · A. accidens var. accidens (Rogue River Milkvetch) · A. accidens var. hendersonii (Henderson's Milkvetch) · A. accumbens (Zuni Milk-Vetch) · A. acerbus · A. achczaensis · A. achundovii · A. acicularis · A. acinaciferus · A. tricholobus · A. ackerbergensis · A. ackermanii (Ackerman's Milk-Vetch) · A. acmonotrichus · A. acmophylloides · A. acmophyllus · A. acmotrichus · A. aconcaguensis · A. acormosus · A. acrocarpus · A. aculeatus · A. acutiflorus · A. acutifolius · A. acutirostris (Sharpkeel Milkvetch) · A. adanus (Boise Milkvetch) · A. adesmiaefolius · A. adnicidus · A. adpressipilosus · A. adpressiusculus · A. adpressus · A. adscendens · A. adsurgens (Standing Milk-Vetch) · A. adsurgens robustior · A. adsurgens subsp. robustior · A. adsurgens var. fujisanensis · A. adsurgens var. robustior · A. adsurgens var. tananaicus (Standing Milkvetch) · A. adsurgens viciifolius · A. adulterinus · A. adunciformis · A. aduncus · A. aduncus subsp. chaborasicus · A. adustus · A. adzharicus · A. aegacanthoides · A. aegiceras · A. aegobromus · A. aegyptiacus · A. aeluropus · A. aemulans · A. aequalis (Clokey's Milkvetch) · A. affghanus · A. affinis · A. afghano-persicus · A. afghanomontanus · A. aflatunensis · A. africanus · A. agameticus · A. agassii · A. agnicidus (Humboldt County Milkvetch) · A. agninus · A. agraniotii · A. agrestis (Don Meadow Milk-Vetch) · A. agrestis polyspermus · A. aharicus · A. ahmed-adlii · A. ahouicus · A. aintabicus · A. aiwadzhi · A. aiwadzhii · A. ajfreidii · A. ajfreidii ajfreidii · A. ajfreidii brevivexillatus · A. ajfreidii subsp. brevivexillatus · A. ajubensis · A. akhundzadahensis · A. akkensis · A. akmanii · A. aksaicus · A. aksaricus · A. aksuensis

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 11, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. "Astragalus". in Flora of Pakistan page 121. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009