Flower profile
Racemose milkvetch
Astragalus racemosus
Racemose milkvetch is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*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.
- 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 108 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
Racemose milkvetch gift ideas
Handmade racemose milkvetch gifts from independent makers.
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Racemose milkvetch art print
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Racemose milkvetch greeting card
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Racemose milkvetch mug
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Racemose milkvetch earrings
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Racemose milkvetch embroidery pattern
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Racemose milkvetch sticker
When does it bloom?
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?
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 racemose milkvetch in 12 states.
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.
More South Dakota flowers
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.