Astragalus corrugatus Bertol.
قرون الغزال، أبو قرون، قفعاء، أبو قرينة
For people
- Eaten by people
- Unknown
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Good fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
No reliable information was found on whether people can eat this plant or whether it is poisonous, so it should not be eaten. The field guide rates it as good grazing for livestock, but no independent source confirming this was found. Some other Astragalus species (locoweeds) are poisonous to livestock; nothing of the kind is recorded for this species.
This guide is a hobby project, not expert advice. Never eat a wild plant, or feed it to animals, on the strength of this page alone. Read the disclaimer
Description
A small annual herb 10-30 cm long, branched from the base, with prostrate to ascending stems covered in appressed hairs. Leaves 3-5 cm, pinnate with 5-8 pairs of narrow wedge-shaped leaflets 5-12 mm long, notched at the tip. Flowers 5-8 mm, pea-like, whitish to violet, 1-5 together in short racemes. The pod is nearly cylindrical, curved to hooked and ending in a short point, hairless, with a network of raised wrinkles on its surface, and holds 10-20 seeds. Flowers March-April.
Habitat
Steppe; silty and sandy depressions and other fine, shallow soils.
Distribution
North and north-east Africa through Arabia to Pakistan. In the Gulf it is recorded from Bahrain, Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE; the field guide reports it from parts of northern Oman.
Pastoral value
Rated as good grazing in the field guide.
Other uses
No documented uses found.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.108)
- Qatar e-Nature — Khawatim al bar (Astragalus corrugatus) — enature.qa
- Flora of Qatar — Astragalus corrugatus — floraofqatar.com
- Libya biodiversity database — Astragalus crenatus Schult. (A. corrugatus as synonym; description) — biodiversity.ly
- Rangelands Gateway — Locoweed guide (toxic Astragalus species, genus background) — rangelandsgateway.org
From the same family
All in this family
Fabaceae
Salam tree, Desert acacia
Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne.
Fabaceae
Red thorn, Grey-haired acacia, Talh
Acacia gerrardii Benth.
Fabaceae
Gum arabic tree, Babul, Thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia, Thorny acacia
Acacia nilotica (L.) Del.
Fabaceae
Gum acacia, Gum arabic tree, Sudan gum
Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.