Huang Qi

Astragalus membranaceus (syn. A. mongholicus) is a perennial herbaceous legume in the family Fabaceae, native to the grasslands, sunny slopes, and forest margins of northern and northeastern China, Mongolia, Korea, and the Russian Far East. The plant grows 50-150 cm tall from a long, fibrous, yellowish taproot that may extend more than a meter into sandy or loamy soils. Stems are erect to ascending and finely hairy, bearing alternate pinnately compound leaves with 12-18 pairs of small elliptical leaflets covered in fine white hairs. Pale yellow to creamy pea-like flowers, 12-20 mm long, are borne in axillary racemes during summer, followed by inflated, papery, hairy pods 2-3 cm long containing several brown seeds. The species favors well-drained, deep, sandy soils in full sun and tolerates cold winters and dry summers.