# Timber Milkvetch (*Astragalus miser*) Timber Milkvetch is a special plant that grows in dry places. It has pretty flowers and is great for helping the soil stay healthy. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Timber Milkvetch](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Astragalus_miser_%283310757187%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astragalus_miser_%283310757187%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Timber Milkvetch is a low-growing plant with slender stems and clusters of small, pea-like flowers. Its blossoms range from purplish-pink to cream or white, often appearing in dense racemes. The leaves are grayish-green and covered in fine hairs, distinguishing it from other meadow plants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Astragalus ## Interesting facts - Despite its toxicity to animals, some tiny insects are specially adapted to safely eat this plant. - It's called 'milkvetch' because people once wrongly believed it made cows produce more milk! - Some of its seed pods are so hairy, they look like tiny fuzzy caterpillars hanging from the stem! - This plant is often called a 'locoweed' because it can make animals act dizzy or 'loco'. ## Special abilities - **Secret Weapon:** Timber Milkvetch can produce powerful toxins that protect it from being eaten by many grazing animals. - **Soil Power-Up:** Timber Milkvetch can pull nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil, helping itself and other plants grow. - **Drought Buster:** Timber Milkvetch has deep roots and hairy leaves that help it survive and thrive in dry, rocky conditions. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-50 cm - **Spread:** 15-40 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late_spring_to_mid_summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** High - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Western Bumblebee (*Bombus occidentalis*) — Main pollinator visiting its flowers - **Symbiotic with:** Rhizobium bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — Forms nodules on roots to fix nitrogen - **Eaten by:** [Cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — Ingesting plant causes 'locoism' toxicity - **Eaten by:** [Sheep](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sheep) (*Ovis aries*) — Eating the plant can lead to neurological issues ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants unless you know they are safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Timber Milkvetch? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Timber Milkvetch? 10-50 cm ### How wide does Timber Milkvetch spread? 15-40 cm ### How big are the flowers on Timber Milkvetch? 0.5-1.5 cm ### When does Timber Milkvetch bloom? Late_spring_to_mid_summer ### Is Timber Milkvetch edible? No ### Is Timber Milkvetch toxic? High ### What is Timber Milkvetch's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Murie Ranch Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/murie-ranch-historic-district) — Wyoming, US · Historic District - [White Lake Grasslands Protected Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/white-lake-grasslands-protected-area) — British Columbia, CA · Nature Reserve - [Stemwinder Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/stemwinder-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Allison Lake Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/allison-lake-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park [View all places to see Timber Milkvetch](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/timber-milkvetch) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Timber Milkvetch: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/timber-milkvetch)