Astragalus montii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Astragalus montii |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Astragalus
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| Species: |
montii
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Astragalus montii is a very special and rare flowering plant. It belongs to the legume family, just like peas and beans! People often call it the heliotrope milkvetch. This plant is only found in Utah, United States, and there are only three small groups of them left. Because it's so rare, the United States government has listed it as a threatened species. Sometimes, scientists think it might be a type of Astragalus limnocharis.
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About the Heliotrope Milkvetch
What Does It Look Like?
This plant is a small perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years and grows back each season. It usually grows only a few centimeters tall. Its leaves are made up of several pairs of smaller leaflets, like tiny feathers.
The plant has two to eight flowers grouped together. These flowers are a pretty pinkish-purple color. They also have white tips on their "wings," which are part of the flower petals. The flowers bloom during the summer months.
How Does It Grow?
After the flowers bloom, they are pollinated by different kinds of native bees. Bees from the Osmia genus are especially important for this plant. Once pollinated, the flowers turn into a fruit. This fruit is an inflated legume pod. It looks pink with purple spots.
Where Does It Live?
The heliotrope milkvetch is only found in a small area of central Utah. This area is called the Wasatch Plateau. The three known groups of these plants live in an eight-mile stretch of mountains. You can find them in the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
One group lives on White Mountain. Another is on Heliotrope Mountain. The third group is on the ridge connecting Heliotrope Mountain to Ferron Mountain. These plants grow in a subalpine habitat. This means they live in high mountain areas, close to the timberline. Their home is made of limestone shale barrens.
Many other plants share this special habitat. Some of them include cushion phlox, alpine false springparsley, and woolly groundsel. You might also find other types of milkvetch, like spiny milkvetch, and different kinds of cinquefoil.
Why Is It Threatened?
The main reason the heliotrope milkvetch is in danger is because of energy development. The area where it lives has a lot of oil and gas exploration happening. This means companies are looking for and drilling for oil and gas.
These activities can disturb the plant's habitat. Because of this threat, the heliotrope milkvetch was added to the United States Endangered Species List in 1987. It was given "threatened" status, which means it is likely to become endangered in the near future.
