Taxon Report
Astragalus pulsiferae Gray var. pulsiferaePulsifer's milk-vetch |
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Taxon Summary
Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae, commonly known as Pulsifer's milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, Lower montane coniferous forest, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1300 to 1800 meters. Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Astragalus pulsiferae Gray var. pulsiferae |
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Common Name: |
Pulsifer's milk-vetch |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Element Code: | PDFAB0F783 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | ASPUP5 |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial herb |
| Blooming Period: May-Aug(Sep) | May-Aug(Sep) |
| Elevation: | 1300-1800 (4265-5905) |
| General Habitats: | Great Basin scrub, Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland |
| Microhabitat: | Granitic (usually), Rocky (sometimes), Sandy (sometimes) |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G4T2 |
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State Rank: |
S2 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | BLM_S; SB_UCSC; USFS_S |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 27 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 5 |
| Good (B) | 3 |
| Fair (C) | 4 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 15 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Lassen (LAS), Plumas (PLU) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Beckwourth Pass (3912071), Chilcoot (3912072), Constantia (3912081), Frenchman Lake (3912082), Genesee Valley (4012016), Reconnaissance Peak (3912073), Susanville (4012046) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 8 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 17 | 63 % | |
| Other | 7 | 25% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 7 | 25% |
| Grazing | 5 | 18% |
| Logging | 2 | 7% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 2 | 7% |
| ORV activity | 2 | 7% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 1 | 3% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 1 | 3% |
Notes
| Need quads for SIE Co. Threatened by grazing and development. Considered critically imperiled in NV. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 10:69 (1874) for original description, and Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 13:970-972 (1964) and Rhodora 104(919):271-279 (2002) for taxonomic treatment. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 26 October 2025].