Flower profile
Browse milkvetch
Astragalus cibarius
Browse milkvetch (Astragalus cibarius) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.
Browse milkvetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Utah it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Utah
Quick look
Astragalus cibarius, commonly called the browse milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 6 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Utah. NatureServe
- In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 662 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #90 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Utah, most flowering sightings come in March–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Utah
- No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
ASPCA's entry “Loco Weed (Astragalus spp.)” (Astragalus spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to horses. Signs include: Incoordination, depression, inability to eat and drink, fetal death and birth defects Credit: Image Courtesy of Gary Coffman, PBase.com Gallery… ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records browse milkvetch in 6 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming.
Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Davis, Garfield, Iron, Juab, Millard, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Weber.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 65 counties across 6 states; the most are in Idaho (20), Utah (20), Wyoming (14).
Other Astragalus on Bloomipedia (12): Woollypod milkvetch, Ground-plum, Woolly locoweed, Drummond's milkvetch, Laxmann's milkvetch, Early purple milkvetch, Alpine milkvetch, Utah milkvetch, Timber milkvetch, Tufted milkvetch.
More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.
More Utah flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ASCI2.
- iNaturalist, Astragalus cibarius: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Astragalus cibarius (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Astragalus cibarius (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Daughter Dad via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.