Flower profile
Ground-plum
Astragalus crassicarpus
Ground-plum is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: North Dakota, South Dakota
Quick look
Astragalus crassicarpus, known as ground plum or buffalo plum, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to North America. It was described in 1813. The fruit is edible and was used by Native Americans as food and horse medicine. It is a host of afranius duskywing larvae. It is also known as groundplum milkvetch and pomme de prairie.
- 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 18 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota and North Dakota. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 248 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #55 among the 108 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 137 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #51 among the 109 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist
Ground-plum gift ideas
Handmade ground-plum gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Ground-plum art print
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Ground-plum greeting card
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Ground-plum mug
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Ground-plum earrings
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Ground-plum embroidery pattern
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Ground-plum sticker
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | Native | few records | 248 |
| North Dakota | Native | few records | 137 |
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
- South Dakota
- No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
- North Dakota
- No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: WI (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?
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 ground-plum in 18 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Bennett, Brookings, Brule, Clay, Codington, Custer, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Fall River, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jerauld, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Meade, Mellette, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Roberts, Stanley, Todd, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton.
North Dakota counties with USDA records: Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Pierce, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams.
More South Dakota flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ASCR2.
- iNaturalist, Astragalus crassicarpus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Astragalus crassicarpus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
- North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Astragalus crassicarpus (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.