Astragalus hamosus
an annual member of the Astragalus genus in the family Leguminosae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Leguminosae
- Genus
- Astragalus
- Life cycle
- annual
- Height
- 0.6 m
- Spread
- 0.45 m
- Fertility
- Bees, Lepidoptera
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees, Lepidoptera
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Many members of this genus contain toxic glycosides[11]. All species with edible seedpods can be distinguished by their fleshy round or oval seedpod that looks somewhat like a greengage[12]. A number of species can also accumulate toxic levels of selenium when grown in soils that are relatively rich in that element[11].
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Young seedpods - cooked[5][2][4]. They quickly become tough and fibrous[K]. The young seedpods are also used in salads. They have only a mediocre taste, but look very much like certain worms and so are used mainly for their novelty value[5].
- Plant part
- Seedpod
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plant is demulcent, emollient, galactogogue and laxative[7]. It is useful in treating irritation of the mucous membranes, nervous affections and catarrh[7].
- Product or use
- Demulcent
- Product or use
- Emollient
- Product or use
- Galactogogue
- Product or use
- Laxative
Ecology and functions
Environment
- Range
- Europe - Mediterranean to Armenia, Ukraine and the Caucasus.
- Habitat
- Dry grassland[9]. Semidesert areas in foothills and the low montane belt, on clay, loess, sand and rock debris[8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- low
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water. If any seed does not swell up in this time then carefully prick it with a needle making sure that you do not damage the embryo, and re-soak for a further 24 hours. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 weeks at 13°c[3][6]. As soon as it is large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Requires a dry well-drained soil in a sunny position[1]. Grows well in Cornwall[K]. Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and are best sown in situ[6]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[6]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen. Many members of this genus can be difficult to grow, this may be due partly to a lack of their specific bacterial associations in the soil[6].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00
Yakovlev. G. Sytin. A. & Roskov. Yu. Legumes of Northern Eurasia Royal Botanic gardens, Kew. 1996-00-00 ISBN 0-947643-97-4
Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394
Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9