Biology:Astragalus (plant)
| Astragalus | |
|---|---|
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| A. lentiginosus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Galegeae |
| Subtribe: | Astragalinae |
| Genus: | Astragalus L. |
| Type species | |
| Astragalus onobrychis[disputed ] L.
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| Species | |
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Over 3,000 species, see list of Astragalus species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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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] The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names include milkvetch (most species), locoweed (in North America, some species)[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7]
Taxonomy
The genus was formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum.[8]
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.[9]
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
- 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)[10]
- 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
- 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
- Astragalus mongholicus – huang qi (黄芪/黃芪 huáng qí; běi qí 北芪) Mongolian milkvetch
- Astragalus monoensis – Mono milkvetch
- Astragalus monspessulanus
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Astragalus umbraticus – Bald Mountain milkvetch
- Astragalus webberi – Webber's milkvetch
- Astragalus wetherillii
- Astragalus whitneyi – balloon-pod milkvetch
- Astragalus zionis – Zion milkvetch
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Astragalus testiculatus -
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Astragalus dasyanthus
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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.[11][12]
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.[13] There is no valid clinical evidence to indicate such use is effective or safe for the mother or infant.[13] Dietary supplement products containing astragalus extracts may not have been adequately tested for efficacy, safety, purity or consistency.[13] The root extracts of astragalus may be used in soups, teas or sold in capsules.[11]
Side effects and toxicology
Although astragalus supplements are generally well tolerated, mild gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, and allergic reactions may occur.[11][13] 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.[11] 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.[11]
Some astragalus species can be toxic, such as those found in the United States containing the neurotoxin swainsonine, which causes "locoweed" poisoning in animals.[11] Some astragalus species may contain high levels of selenium, possibly causing toxicity.[11]
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
References
- ↑ "Astragalus L.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330028-2.
- ↑ "Astragalus L.". Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330028-2.
- ↑ Frodin, David G. (2004). "History and Concepts of Big Plant Genera". Taxon 53 (3): 753–76. doi:10.2307/4135449.
- ↑ "Astragalus (Locoweed) flowers". Rootcellar.us. http://www.rootcellar.us/wildflowers/astrag.htm.
- ↑ Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) (in en). Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. pp. 100. ISBN 0878422803. OCLC 25708726. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25708726.
- ↑ Xu, Langran; Podlech, Dietrich, "Astragalus", Flora of China, 10, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=102978, retrieved 9 December 2018
- ↑ "A Guide to the Common Locoweeds and Milkvetches of New Mexico". New Mexico State University. https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR557/.
- ↑ "Astragalus L.". International Plant Names Index. https://beta.ipni.org/n/330028-2.
- ↑ Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
- ↑ "Astragalus boeticus L.". Beltsville, Maryland. 2018. https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?5727.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 "Astragalus". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 29 November 2016. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/astragalus.
- ↑ Su, Guobin; Chen, Xiankun; Liu, Zhuangzhu; Yang, Lihong; Zhang, La; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Wen, Zehuai; Guo, Xinfeng et al. (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. PMID 27905672.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Astragalus". Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 3 December 2018. PMID 30000951. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501891/.
External links
- Astragalus – Genus of vascular plants
- Astragalus – Clinical summary and constituents, MSKCC Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Wikidata ☰ Q157184 entry
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