Taxonomy

Division:

Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants

Family:

Fabaceae

Genus:

Astragalus

Species:

Astragalus affinis

Growth Characteristics

Growth Habit:

Forb/herb

Height:

60 cm

Drought Tolerance:

Medium

Bloom Months:

may,jun,jul

Bloom Colors:

purple, pink

Keystone Species Ranking

Pollen Specialist Bee Keystone:

★★★☆☆ Native pollen specialist bee species supported by this genus (NWF)

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:

bees, native pollinators

Deer Resistant:

Yes

Fire Ecology:

Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire

Fire Notes:

Resprouts from root crown after fire. Common in fire-adapted prairie and sagebrush ecosystems with periodic burns.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days

Scarification:

Seed coat scarification required before sowing

Germination Time:

14–30 days

Notes:

Hard seed coat requires scarification. Seeds benefit from soaking in warm water or mechanical scarification before cold stratification.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI