Astragalus alopecurus

A species with a Euro-Asian distribution, it is rare in the European continent (found only in Italy, France and Bulgaria); in Italy, it is found only in two locations in the Aosta Valley: the Cogne Valley and the Valtournenche. It is therefore an extremely rare plant in Italy and is strictly protected at regional level.

A member of the Fabaceae or leguminous family, it is found in sunny positions in dry meadows and thermophilic scrubland, at altitudes ranging from 1,350 to 2,370 metres in the Cogne Valley and around 800 metres in Valtournenche. It is a species that can easily grow to a large size and attain remarkable beauty, making it hard to miss. The inflorescences, in particular, are very striking: yellow flowers forming a dense, globular raceme. 

It is precisely the appearance of the inflorescence that gives rise to the specific name, alopecurus, from the Greek alòpex (fox) and ourà (tail), meaning ‘fox’s tail’. In 1867, the Aosta Valley canon and botanist Carrel described it as ‘le roi des Astragales’ – the king of the tragacanth – struck by its beauty.