<Li> Tragacantha Mill . </Li> <Li> Xylophacos Rydb . </Li> <P> Astragalus is a large genus of about 4,200 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae . It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species . The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere . Common names include milkvetch (most species), locoweed (in North America, some species) and goat's - thorn (A. gummifer, A. tragacanthus). Some pale - flowered vetches are similar in appearance, but vetches are more vine - like . </P> <P> Astragalus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including many case - bearing moths of the genus Coleophora: C. cartilaginella, C. colutella, C. euryaula, and C. onobrychiella feed exclusively on Astragalus, C. astragalella and C. gallipennella feed exclusively on the species Astragalus glycyphyllos, and C. hippodromica is limited to Astragalus gombo . </P>

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