Barr's Milkvetch / Center For Plant Conservation
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Plant Profile

Barr's Milkvetch (Astragalus barrii)

A closeup of this small, cushion-shaped herb with purple flowers. Photo Credit: J. Locklear
  • Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
  • Legal Status: N/A
  • Family: Fabaceae
  • State: MT, NE, SD, WY
  • Nature Serve ID: 130006
  • Lifeform: Forb/herb
  • Date Inducted in National Collection: 05/28/1986
Description:

Springtime is fleeting in the Powder River country of eastern Wyoming and Montana, but at its peak it turns the tops of bluffs and buttes into rock gardens of remarkable beauty. An assortment of low-growing plants grace these windswept places, including Barr's milkvetch, a cushion-forming plant with silvery foliage and rose-purple blossoms that is limited to this region of the Great Plains.

Where is Barr's Milkvetch (Astragalus barrii) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Buttes, hilltops, badlands, and gullied knolls and draws, in shallow rocky soils derived from limestone, calcareous sandstone, shale or siltstone. Occurs in cushion plant communities within more densely vegetated mixed grass prairie. Elevation 2940-4000 ft.

Distribution:

Centered in the Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming (Campbell, Johnson, Natron, Niobrara, Sheridan and Weston counties) and adjacent southeastern Montana (Big Horn, Carter, Powder River and Ros

States & Provinces:

Barr's Milkvetch can be found in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming

Which CPC Partners conserve Barr's Milkvetch (Astragalus barrii)?

  • Lauritzen Gardens

    Sponsored
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    Donor Acknowledgment - In the Works
    Assigned 06/09/17
    • CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

    Conservation Actions

    • 10/13/2020
      • Seed Collection

    Successfully propagated from seed using scarification pretreatment (Nebraska Statewide Arboretum).

    • 10/13/2020
      • Propagation Research

    Successfully propagated from seed using scarification pretreatment (Nebraska Statewide Arboretum).

    Nature Serve Biotics
    • 05/02/2017

    Regional endemic with ca. 100 occurrences; new coalbed methane threats warrant consideration. May require ""semi-natural matrix"" landscape.

    Jim Locklear
    • 01/01/2010

    Montana: 33 occurrences (Fertig 2000). Nebraska: 1 occurrence (Weedon 2001). South Dakota: 7 occurrences (Ode 1988). Wyoming: 26 occurrences (Hartman and Nelson 1995).

    Jim Locklear
    • 01/01/2010

    Successfully propagated from seed using scarification pretreatment (Nebraska Statewide Arboretum).

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    Nomenclature
    Taxon Astragalus barrii
    Authority Barneby
    Family Fabaceae
    CPC Number 371
    ITIS 25432
    USDA ASBA
    Duration Perennial
    Common Names Barr's milkvetch
    Associated Scientific Names Orophaca barrii | Astragalus barrii
    Distribution Centered in the Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming (Campbell, Johnson, Natron, Niobrara, Sheridan and Weston counties) and adjacent southeastern Montana (Big Horn, Carter, Powder River and Ros
    State Rank
    State State Rank
    Montana S3
    Nebraska S1
    South Dakota S3
    Wyoming S3
    Ecological Relationships

    Photos

    A closeup of this small, cushion-shaped herb with purple flowers. Photo Credit: J. Locklear

    This rugged habitat in Powder River Co., MT is where Barr's milkvetch is found. Photo Credit: J. Locklear
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    Pollinators
    Common Name Name in Text Association Type Source InteractionID
    Bees
    Bumble bees Bombus Confirmed Pollinator Link

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