Purple Milk-Vetch Astragalus danicus
Purple Milk-Vetch (Astragalus danicus) is a nationally scarce plant of short, dry calcareous grassland, producing attractive clusters of violet-purple flowers in early summer. In England, it is largely confined to the chalk and limestone grasslands of eastern and northern counties. Suffolk holds important populations in the Breckland and on chalk grassland in the west of the county, where closely grazed, open turf on thin chalky soils provides ideal conditions. It is sensitive to both agricultural improvement and competitive rank grassland, and rabbit grazing has historically played an important role in maintaining the short sward it requires. Image: © Natural England/Peter Wakely, Flickr.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Plantlife, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
