About Astragalus crassicarpus Nutt.
Astragalus crassicarpus Nutt. reaches 1 to 2 feet in height, and produces pinkish purple flowers and edible fruit pods. This species grows from a thick taproot, and produces multiple long, hairy stems that grow along the ground. Its leaves are alternate, 4 to 13 cm long, and each leaf holds 15 to 27 elliptic or oblong leaflets. Flowers grow in elongated clusters among the leaves, and the fleshy round fruit is 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide. This species blooms from May to June. It is commonly called ground plum, a name it shares with several other species in the genus Astragalus, including Astragalus plattensis. These two species are sometimes confused, but they can be distinguished by their fruiting pods: A. crassicarpus has glabrous (hairless) pods, while A. plattensis has hairy pods. Astragalus crassicarpus grows primarily across the Great Plains of Canada and the United States, ranging from British Columbia east to Ontario and south to Texas. It has been recorded as far east as Will County, Illinois, but it is not known if it is originally native to this area or was introduced. Ground plums grow in sunny, well-drained soil. They can be found in prairies, pastures, limestone outcroppings, and rocky open woods throughout the Mississippi Valley. It is common across much of the southern portion of its range. Ground plum has a large, deep taproot. It can only be grown from seed, and germination is slow. Ripe seeds are glossy black and have a very hard seed coat.
