NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1518189
April 2024 • Nebraskaland 41 statewide. Its whitish to lilac fl owers, the petals tipped with purple, appear in late April through May and are soon followed by inch-long, green seed pods that lie on the ground. Native Americans and settlers ate the young, tender pea-fl avored pods raw, cooked and pickled. Rodents, including prairie dogs and mice, cache the dry, leathery pods and eat the seeds later. Platte River Milkvetch In early June 1820, Edwin James, botanist, geologist and surgeon for the Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, fi rst collected Platte River milkvetch (A. plattensis) in Nebraska along the Platte River in what is now either Dodge or Colfax County. This plant is limited to relatively undisturbed prairies throughout much of the state, excluding far eastern Nebraska. Platte River milkvetch is similar in size and appearance to ground plum and is often confused with it. The species are most easily distinguished by their mature pods. Platte River milkvetch pods are hairy and have a pointed tip, while ground plum's pods are smooth and blunt-tipped. Missouri Milkvetch Missouri milkvetch (A. missouriensis) grows mainly on dry, often sparsely-vegetated gravel, clay and loam soils in the western half of the state. A more delicate and less upright plant than the two previously described species, Missouri milkvetch has a very short stem, and its leaves lie prostrate on the ground. The plant's leafl ets are covered in short, appressed hairs that give them a unique silvery or greenish- gray hue. The fl owers can be white but are usually rich purple in color with a splash of white in the center of the upper petal. The small pods are boat-shaped. Lotus Milkvetch In late June 1820, James collected lotus milkvetch (A. lotifl orus) along the Platte River in what is now either Keith or Lincoln County. This plant grows mostly in dry hilltop prairies throughout the state, but is more common westward. It is fairly tolerant of disturbance, such as heavy grazing, and can inhabit degraded prairies. Lotus milkvetch is similar in size to Missouri milkvetch, but distinguished from the latter species by its green, more upright leaves and white to creamy yellow fl owers with purplish streaks in the center of the petals. The small pods are crescent moon-shaped. These four milkvetch species are so often unseen that the only photographs of the largest and most common ground plum grace the pages of wildfl ower guides. As beautiful as these delicate wildfl owers are, it is unfortunate. Come mid- April, a search for them would be rewarding. N Lotus milkvetch fl owering on a dry Platte River bluff top in Hamilton County. The white to creamy-yellow petals with purplish streaks are key to identifying the plant. Missouri milkvetch growing on a dry ridgetop in Keya Paha County. The plant accumulates selenium, but is little grazed and not toxic to livestock.