Flower profile

Racemose milkvetch

Astragalus racemosus

Racemose milkvetch (Astragalus racemosus) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states.

Native to South Dakota

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

12states where USDA records it

180SD sightings*

448U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: South Dakota

Quick look

Astragalus racemosus, the cream milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to central North America. A selenium hyperaccumulator, it is considered capable of poisoning livestock as one of the locoweeds.
From Wikipedia's article Astragalus racemosus, 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 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 180 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #82 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (49 records)

There are only a handful of South Dakota flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

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.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MN (SH), MT (S2), WY (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?

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 racemose milkvetch in 12 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Corson, Dewey, Fall River, Gregory, Haakon, Harding, Hughes, Jackson, Lyman, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Stanley, Todd, Tripp, Walworth, Ziebach.

Names, range and relatives

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

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 136 counties across 12 states; the most are in Kansas (39), South Dakota (23), Colorado (15).

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, Browse 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 South Dakota flowers

Leadplant

Amorpha canescens

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Wild licorice

Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ASRA2.
iNaturalist, Astragalus racemosus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Astragalus racemosus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Astragalus racemosus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Larry Jensen via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.