Astragalus is a genus of more than 3, 000 species[1] of small shrubs and herbs that belong to the Fabaceae (pea) family and the Faboideae subfamily.
It is the largest plant genus in the Fabaceae family in terms of the species described. Astragalus is known by the common names such as locoweed (some species in North America), milkvetch (most species), and goat thorn (Astragalus gummifer and Astragalus tragacantha).
