Astragalus nutzotinensis
Nutzotin milkvetch
Common Names
Nutzotin milkvetch
astragale des monts
Synonyms
none
Subspecies
none
Genus: Astragalus
Family: Fabaceae
Order: Fabales
taxonomic heirarchy
Etymology
The genus name Astragalus derives from the ancient Greek ἀστράγαλος (astrágalos), meaning “ankle bone,” specifically the knucklebones once used as dice. The name is thought to reference the dry, rattling seeds inside the inflated seed pods, which mimic the sound of dice in a cup. Linnaeus formalized the genus’s name in 1753.
The species epithet nutzotinensis is a toponym for the Nutzotin Mountains, a subrange of the Alaska Range at its far eastern end, near the border with Canada. The name was coined by USGS geologist Alfred Brooks in 1900, named after the Nutzotin, a group of Upper Tanana Athabascan people from the area now encompassed by Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (just south of the Nutzotins). The Latinized suffix -ensis is the standard botanical convention for geographic epithets, meaning “of” or “from” the named place.
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The common name “milkvetch” is rooted in early European herbalism. By the 1500s, farmers in Europe believed that grazing animals, goats in particular, produced more milk when feeding on plants of this genus.
This species was formally described in 1933 by the French-Canadian botanist Jacques Rousseau (1905–1970), published in Contributions du Laboratoire de Botanique de l’Université de Montréal. His full name is a mouthful, Joseph Jules Jean Jacques Rousseau, I’m guessing, named after the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau was a prolific taxonomist who described over 130 botanical species and varieties over his career, and whose doctoral dissertation was a study of the genus Astragalus in Quebec.
Duration – Growth Habit
Perennial – Forb/Herb
Identification and Information
Nutzotin milkvetch (Astragalus nutzotinensis) is a 10-40 cm long, mat-forming perennial herb in the pea, legume family (Fabaceae).
Vegetative Morphology
It grows from a branching stem-base (subterranean caudex) and taproot. The prostrate and weak stems are slender and may be glabrous or covered in short appressed black or white hairs (strigulose). The leaves are grey-green, often with purplish spots, alternately compound with 7-15 ovate to obovate or oblong-lanceolate leaflets. Stipules are present, ovate and clasping at the stem, with connate sheathing.
Reproductive Morphology
The inflorescence is a raceme of 1-4 (sometimes 5) pea-like flowers. The 12-20 mm-long corollas are cream, reddish-purple, or pink. The calyx is bell-shaped and has black appressed hairs.
The fruit is a pale green legume with purple dots that becomes curved into a spiral. It is papery-membranous and semitransparent.
Uses
For information only (typically historical) – I take no responsibility for adverse effects from the use of any plant.
No traditional, medicinal, or culinary uses were found.
Distribution and Habitat
Map data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), NatureServe Explorer, and Kew
Nutzotin milkvetch is commonly found on gravel bars in braided streams, gravelly ridges and outcrops, or in talus. It’s considered to be a pioneering species, one of the first to bloom at the edge of receding glaciers, along with many Dryas species.
Astragalus nutzotinensis is a North American species. It’s found in Alaska, the Yukon, and in British Columbia. It’s mostly found along the mountain ranges, primarily the Alaska Range, Wrangell St. Elias, Chugach, and Coastal Ranges. It’s also found farther north in the Brooks Range.
Classification
| Rank | Scientific Name (Common Name) |
|---|---|
| Class | Equisetopsida |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae (Angiosperms) |
| Superorder | Rosanae |
| Order | Fabales |
| Family | Fabaceae (pea, bean, pulse) |
| Subfamily | Papilionoideae |
| Tribe | Galegeae |
| Genus | Astragalus (milkvetch, locoweed) |
| Section | Astragalus sect. Gynophoraria |
| Species | Astragalus nutzotinensis (Nutzotin milkvetch) |
References and Further Reading
Guidebook
None Listed
Etymology
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of astragalus. Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/astragalus
Colorado Natural Heritage Program. (2011). Botany A to Z: Astragalus. Colorado State University. https://cnhp.colostate.edu/cnhpblog/2011/12/06/botany-a-to-z-astragalus/ (seed pod / dice rattling theory)
U.S. Geological Survey / Alaska Handbook. (1981). Nutzotin Mountains. https://www.alaskahandbook.com/places/nutzotin-mountains/ (cites Brooks 1900 naming record)
National Park Service. (2007). People of the Upper Tanana. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/people-of-the-upper-tanana.htm
Caron, F. (1971). Jacques Rousseau (1905–1970) [Obituary]. Arctic, 24(2). https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/66179/50092 (confirms D.Sc. thesis on Astragalus)
Wikispecies contributors. (2020). Astragalus nutzotinensis. Wikispecies. https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Astragalus_nutzotinensis (cites Rousseau, J.J.J.J., 1933. Contributions du Laboratoire de Botanique de l’Université de Montréal 24: 14)
Collins English Dictionary. (n.d.). Milk vetch. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/milk-vetch
Classification and Taxonomy
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:478923-1
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis (TSN 25609). Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=25609#null
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis (ASNU6). PLANTS Database. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ASNU6
Uses
None Listed
Map and Distribution
NatureServe. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis. NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145615/Astragalus_nutzotinensis
GBIF Secretariat. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis (GBIF Species 5346366). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.gbif.org/species/5346366
Description and Information
Hultén, E. (1968). Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories: A Manual of the Vascular Plants (1st ed.) (pg. 651). Stanford University Press.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis. Flora of North America. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://floranorthamerica.org/Astragalus_nutzotinensis
University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Astragalus nutzotinensis. Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Astragalus%20nutzotinensis&redblue=Both&lifeform=7
Northwest Wildflowers. (n.d.). Flora of North America species comparison: Astragalus nutzotinensis. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Astragalus%20nutzotinensis
