Astragalus root
<p><i ><b>Astragalus</b></i> (<i ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllable_stress_of_Botanical_Latin" title="Syllable stress of Botanical Latin" >As-trá-ga-lus</a></i>) is a large genus of about 3,000 species<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astragalus#cite_note-1" >[1]</a></sup> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb" title="Herb" >herbs</a> and small <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrub" title="Shrub" >shrubs</a>, belonging to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume" title="Legume" >legume</a> family <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabaceae" title="Fabaceae" >Fabaceae</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subfamily" title="Subfamily" class="mw-redirect" >subfamily</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faboideae" title="Faboideae" >Faboideae</a>. The genus is native to temperate regions of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hemisphere" title="Northern Hemisphere" >Northern Hemisphere</a>. Common names include milk-vetch (most species), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locoweed" title="Locoweed" >locoweed</a> (in western US, some species; although most locoweeds are not genus <i >Astragalus</i> but in related genera)<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astragalus#cite_note-2" >[2]</a></sup> and <b >goat's-thorn</b> (<i >A. gummifer</i>,<i >A. tragacanthus</i>). Some pale-flowered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia" title="Vicia" >vetches</a> are similar in appearance, but vetches are more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine" title="Vine" >vine</a>-like.</p>