Flower profile

Drummond's milkvetch

Astragalus drummondii

Drummond's milkvetch (Astragalus drummondii) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Native to Colorado

Drummond's milkvetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

10states where USDA records it

1,622CO sightings*

2,055U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado

Quick look

Astragalus drummondii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Drummond's milkvetch. The botanist Thomas Drummond first identified the plant during his travels in North America from 1825 to 1835, the year of his death. Astragalus drummondii is one of many plants named after him.
From Wikipedia's article Astragalus drummondii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 10 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 1,622 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #100 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Colorado (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (47 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: ID (S2), ND (S1). (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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsToxic to horses

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 drummond's milkvetch in 10 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Alamosa, Arapahoe, Boulder, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jefferson, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Logan, Mineral, Morgan, Rio Grande, Saguache, Teller, Weld.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Tium drummondii.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 97 counties across 9 states; the most are in Montana (36), Colorado (25), Wyoming (16).

Other Astragalus on Bloomipedia (12): Woollypod milkvetch, Ground-plum, Woolly locoweed, Laxmann's milkvetch, Early purple milkvetch, Alpine milkvetch, Utah milkvetch, Timber milkvetch, Browse 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 Colorado flowers

Lambert's locoweed

Oxytropis lambertii

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–August

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ASDR3.
iNaturalist, Astragalus drummondii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Astragalus drummondii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Astragalus drummondii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Anders Hastings via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.