Israel wildflowers: Violet milk-vetch
Astragalus callichrous,Violet milk-vetch,
Hebrew: קדד יפה, Arabic: القتاد اللين
| Scientific name: | Astragalus callichrous Boiss. | |
| Common name: | Violet milk-vetch | |
| Hebrew name: | קדד יפה | |
| Arabic name: | القتاد اللين | |
| Family: | Fabaceae or Papilionaceae, Legume/Pea Family, הפרפרניים |
 |
| Life form: | Annual | |
| Stems: | Not climbing herb | |
| Leaves: | Alternate, compound, pinnate, smooth | |
| Inflorescence: | Racemes capitate, 5-8-flowered | |
| Flowers: | Violet, pink, standard gradually tapering | |
| Fruits / pods: | Pea-like pod with several seeds | |
| Flowering Period: | January, February, March, April | |
| Habitat: | Shrub-steppes | |
| Distribution: | Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts | |
| Chorotype: | Saharo-Arabian | |
| Summer shedding: | Ephemeral |
 Derivation of the botanical name: Astragalus, ἀστραγαλος, literally signifies a huckle bone (talus), a small bone of the ankle; astragalus, which the Greeks, as well as the Romans, used for dice and other purposes and an early name applied to some plants in this family because of the shape of the seeds; also could mean “star” or “milk”.
callichrous calli, callos, καλλοϛ, “beauty”, and , “-coloured; beautifully coloured.
|
