Botany on the Byways: Ground Plum

Astragalus crassicarpus

The Dakota call this plant pte ta wote, meaning "buffalo food," and ate the fleshy fruit fresh off the plant. To the Omaha and Ponca, it is tdika shande or wamide wenigthe, meaning "something to go with seed." They use it to prepare corn seed for planting. The Pawnee eat it to quench their thirst. The Lakota use the edible fruit as horse medicine. Although the fruit is edible, the rest of the ground plum plant is toxic.

Ground plum​​ is found on dry to gravelly prairies and Loess Hills prairies. The fruit dries out by midsummer, so find it before to eat raw, cooked, or pickled; ground plum begins fruiting in late May. The raw fruit might not be appetizing to most, but if cooked it tastes like green beans. Make sure you identify the plant correctly, as there are species that look similar but are completely toxic. The pinkish purple flowers begin showing from early to late May.