Ground plum, Buffalo bean, Groundplum milk-vetch, Buffalo pea
Astragalus crassicarpus

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It is a bean plant that keeps growing from year to year. The stems lie along the ground and it forms mats. It has branches near the base. The leaves are compound with 17-25 leaflets. They are oblong. They are smooth above and hairy underneath. The flowers are yellowish-white with a purple tinged keel. They are 2 cm long. Several flowers occur in loose clusters. The fruit are reddish fleshy pods. They are round and 2 cm across.

There are 2,000 Astragalus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in open prairie and dry grassy hillsides. It grows in hardiness zones 3-8.

Countries/locations it is found in

Canada, Kuwait, Middle East, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The unripe fruit or pods are edible raw or cooked. The pods can be cooked as spices for pickles.

Edible parts

Seed pod, fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seeds can have hard seed coats that need to be broken.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Astragalus carnosus Nutt.; Astragalus carnosus Pursh; Astragalus caryocarpus Ker.-Gawl.; Astragalus crassicarpus Nutt. var. paysonii (Kelso) Barneby; Astragalus crassicarpus NUtt. var. trichocalyx (Torrey & A. Gray) Gleason; Astragalus succulentus Richardson; Geoprumnon crassicarpum (Nutt.) Rydb.; Geoprumnon succulentum (Richardson) Rydb.; Tragacantha carycarpa (Ker Gawler) Kuntze;