Purple Yunying is an annual or perennial herb in the genus Astragalus of the family Leguminosae.

1. Roots

The main root is relatively fat, usually 40-50cm into the soil, and up to 100cm or more in loose soil. In the main root on the growth of developed lateral roots and secondary lateral roots, often up to 5 to 6 levels or more, mainly distributed in the cultivated layer, to 0 ~ 10cm soil layer within the majority, can account for the weight of the entire root system more than 70% to 80%. The main roots, lateral roots and fine roots on the surface are bearing dark red or brown rhizomes, the shape of which are bulbous, short stick, finger-like, forked, palmate and block-like.

2. Stem

is cylindrical, hollow, sparsely velvety, light green, reddish-purple in color. The stem is erect or creeping, 30-100cm long, with 3-5 branches per plant.

3. Leaves

Oddly pinnately compound, with 7-13 leaflets. Leaflets are entire, obovate or elliptic, glossy and sparsely velutinous. Stipules cuneate, light green, purplish or light green with purple color.

4. Flowers

Umbels, usually axillary, but also terminal; with 3-15 florets, usually 8-10, terminal inflorescences up to 30. The total pedicel is 5-15 cm long, up to 25 cm. 5 segments of the calyx, triangular above, united into an inverted bell below. Corolla butterfly-shaped, flower color light purple-red, purple-red, white. Flag petals inverted heart-shaped. Pistil in the center of the stamens, style and keel petal as inwardly curved; stigma spherical, surface hairy, ovary two-locular. Ovary with nectary at the base.

5. Fruits

Pods are reddish long, black at maturity, with 5-10 seeds per clip, the seeds are kidney-shaped, yellowish-green and glossy, with a thousand-seed weight of about 2.6-3.4g, and about 70,000-100,000 seeds per kilogram.

Chromosome 2n=16.

Purple Yunying