Rushy Milkvetch,Astragalus lonchocarpus,Pea Family (Fabaceae)

Found in dry openings in piñon-juniper forests and open canyons
Seen blooming in April in Red Wash Canyon

Another Milkvetch but quite different in appearance from the Missouri Milkvetch of a couple of weeks ago. Rushy Milkvetch grows like a bush to 2 feet wide and high with bright green stems and long, narrow leaves. Flowers are white and about an inch long and grow loosely clustered along the stem producing many spear-shaped 1" long seed pods. Both Missouri Milkvetch and Rushy Milkvetch contain swainsonine which is toxic to livestock and causes a wide variety of toxicological problems, including neurological, cardiovascular, and reproductive effects. For this reason, they should be more correctly called Locoweeds. “Loco” in Spanish means “crazy” and alludes to the often disoriented behavior of animals afflicted by these plants. Traditionally, the Navajo used it to induce vomiting and a poultice of the plant was applied to a goiter. Source.
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