Taxonomy

Division:

Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants

Family:

Fabaceae

Genus:

Astragalus

Species:

Astragalus effusus

Growth Characteristics

Growth Habit:

Forb/herb

Height:

40 cm

Drought Tolerance:

High

Bloom Months:

apr,may,jun

Bloom Colors:

purple, violet

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:

Prairie-adapted legume that tolerates periodic fire typical of Great Plains grasslands. Resprouts from root crown after fire disturbance.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days

Scarification:

Seed coat scarification required before sowing

Germination Time:

10–30 days

Notes:

Scarification improves germination rates. Seeds have hard seed coats typical of legumes and benefit from mechanical or chemical scarification before cold stratification.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI