About Astragalus lentiginosus var. iodanthus (S.Watson) J.A.Alexander
This taxon is a variety of the species Astragalus lentiginosus. Astragalus lentiginosus plants are most often perennial herbs, and occasionally annual. Their leaves can grow up to 15 centimetres, or 5.9 inches, long, and are divided into many pairs of small leaflets. Plants vary in growth form from prostrate to erect, and in texture from quite woolly to nearly hairless. The inflorescence can hold up to 50 pea-like flowers, which may be purplish, whitish, or a mix of both colors. Most varieties of this species share the unifying feature of an inflated, beaked legume pod that has a groove along its side. When the pod dries, it develops a papery texture, and splits open starting at the beak to release its seeds. The species epithet lentiginosus refers to the red mottling commonly present on the pods, which resembles freckles. The species' bloom period falls between March, April, and May. As a whole species, Astragalus lentiginosus is distributed throughout the Great Basin of North America, ranging west from the Rocky Mountains to the California Coast Ranges, south into Mexico, and north to British Columbia. Its varieties are mostly limited to marginal habitats such as disturbed sites in the arid regions of the North American continent. The species group also includes a number of edaphic specialists that grow at desert seeps, sites which frequently have high levels of calcium carbonate. Astragalus lentiginosus is not currently cultivated commercially. To propagate the species from seed, the seed coat must be scarified to allow the embryo to absorb water. The Zuni people eat the pods of the diphysus variety of this species fresh, boiled, or salted. These pods are also dried and stored for use during the winter.
