Astragalus Sickle

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Astragalus sickle (lat. Astragalus falcatus) - a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Astragalus (lat. Astragalus), belonging to the legume family (lat. Fabaceae). Like its relatives in the family, it has a high protein content, and therefore is used for sowing in pastures. In addition, its leaves and flowers have healing powers. With a great similarity to other species of the genus, Astragalus sickle (or, as it is also called, sickle) stands out among them in the form of fruits. The bean pod is similar to an agricultural tool, the sickle, which is still popular with gardeners today. In size, of course, it is inferior to a real sickle, but outwardly it repeats its configuration.

What's in your name

You can read about the meaning of the Latin word "Astragalus", which has its roots in the ancient Greek language, in an article on the Astragalus genus.

The specific epithet "falcatus" is translated in different ways: sickle, sickle. The plant has earned such an epithet by the form of its legume pods, drooping to the surface of the earth in the form of miniature sickles with sharp noses.

Since Astragalus sickle is often used as a forage plant competing with other popular forage legumes: Alfalfa, Esparcet, Vika, the name has a number of synonyms in the English language literature, for example, "Sickle milkvetch" "). Apparently, in Russia, this plant is more often used as a fodder, and therefore the name also has such a synonym - "Russian milkvetch" ("Russian milk Vika").

Description

The powerful root system of the perennial Astragalus crescent reveals real thickets of green foliage on the surface of the earth. Plant height, depending on living conditions, ranges from 55 to 100 centimeters.

Numerous weakly branched, scattered hairy stems are generously covered with complex leaves, the bases of which are supplied by nature with sharp-nosed lanceolate stipules. On the common petiole of a complex leaf, there are 15 to 20 pairs of oblong-elliptical leaflets.

Long peduncles are decorated with loose clusters of inflorescences formed by drooping moth flowers with a whitish-yellowish-greenish, pure yellow, light yellow or creamy yellow color. The flowers are protected by a bell-shaped calyx of sepals accreted at the base, diverging at the top with triangular teeth. Flowering continues during the first two months of summer.

The fruit pod has the shape of a miniature sickle with a subulate-pointed nose. The surface of the pod valves is leathery. The sedentary beans sink sadly to the surface of the ground, hiding a couple of seeds within them.

The area of Astragalus sickle

Astragalus sickle is a rather ubiquitous drought-resistant and frost-resistant plant. In Russia, it can be found in the south and east of the European territory of the country, in the Caucasus, the Urals and in frosty Western Siberia.

Usage

The main use of Astragalus sickle is as food for ruminant pets. Powerful roots allow the plant to quickly and in large quantities build up green mass, making the plant a competitor to Alfalfa.

Loose inflorescences with numerous moth flowers of a pure yellow color will adorn the flower garden for the first two summer months. The delicacy of complex leaves, even in the absence of flowering, makes the bushes of the sickle-shaped Astragalus a very attractive backdrop for other flowering plants.

From the leaves and flowers of Astragalus sickle, pharmacists prepare medicines that have a diuretic effect and help people with chronic renal failure.