Flora of the Southeastern United States

Astragalus canadensis Linnaeus var. canadensis. Common name: Canada Milkvetch. Phenology: Jun-Aug; Jul-Oct. Habitat: Forests, woodlands, streambanks, rocky slopes and bluffs, prairies. Distribution: Ranging through much of North America, from Québec and Hudson Bay west to British Columbia, south to Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, and California; also apparently disjunct in Siberia.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: The other varieties occur farther west. See Barneby (1964) for a detailed discussion of taxonomic and nomenclatural problems involving A. canadensis. Barneby comments that "the eastern mountain race [in the Appalachians] is commonly distinguished from var. canadensis of the Mississippi Valley and northward by a narrower and more open flowering and fruiting raceme, and the flowers at the same time are relatively small. There is something to be said in favor of recognizing an eastern montane variety, so long as we confine its distinguishing characteristic to a loose raceme". The distribution, as mapped by Barneby, is suggestive of a composite map of two (or more) different taxa, one of them being centered in the Southern and Central Appalachians (extending out into nearby provinces). F and G separate var. carolinianus, basing the distinction, however, on a different set of characters, and considering var. canadensis to range south to VA (at least). Further study is needed; it seems we may have in our area two taxa worthy of distinction at the varietal level.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, Can, FNA11.2, K1, K4, Mo3, NE, NY, SE3, Va, Barneby (1964), Isely (1998); < Astragalus canadensis L. — C, GrPl, Il, Mi, NcTx, Pa, RAB, Tn, Tx, W, Turner et al (2003a); > Astragalus canadensis L. var. canadensis — F, G; > Astragalus canadensis L. var. carolinianus (L.) M.E.Jones — F, G; > Astragalus canadensis L. var. longilobus Fassett — F; > Astragalus carolinianus L. — S, S13. Basionym: Astragalus canadensis L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis - FNA11.2

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC (name change)
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC (name change)
• Great Plains: FAC (name change)
• Midwest: FAC (name change)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FAC (name change)

Heliophily ⓘ: 7