Relatives
Astragalus cicer L. - Wild Lentil, Chickpea Milk-vetch.
Taxonomic position.
Family Fabaceae Lindl., genus Astragalus L.Synonyms.
A. mucronatum DC., Cystium cicer (L.) Stev.Morphology and biology.
Large perennial plant about 80 cm tall. Stems branched. Stipules lanceolate. Leaflets ovate or oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 2-3 pairs. Racemes oblong, dense. Calyx campanulate, its teeth shorter than tube. Flowers pale yellow, 15-16 cm long. Pod globosely inflated, 7-13 mm long, black, villous, with short cusp, sessile, bilocular. Cross-pollinated entomophilous plant. 2n=64.Ecology.
In forest fringes, among shrubberies in meadows, in forest steppes, at sides of streams and ditches; in more northern areas usually as adventive at roadsides and in inhabited areas. Up to middle montane zone.Distribution.
European part of the former USSR, Caucasus.Economic value.
Similar to clover and medick by chemical composition and nutrition value. Leaves contain about 0.1 % alkaloids. The plant is used as forage before flowering and in hay.References:
Galushko AI. 1980. Flora of the North Caucasus: Handbook. V.2. 352 p. (In Russian).Grossheim AA. 1952. Flora of Caucasus. 2nd ed. V.5. P.245-335. (In Russian).
Shishkin BK., ed. 1946. Flora URSS. V.12. Moscow; Leningrad. 919 p. (In Russian).
Fedorov AA., Tzvelev NN., eds. 1987. Flora of the European part of the USSR. V.6. 254 p. (In Russian).
Roskov YR. et al. 2005. ILDIS World Database of Legumes. [Online] Available at: http://www.ildis.org /LegumeWeb?sciname=Astragalus%20cicer.