Taxon Report

Astragalus nuttallii (T. & G.) J.T. Howell var. nuttallii

ocean bluff milk-vetch

Print Report

Robert Preston

Taxon Summary

Astragalus nuttallii var. nuttallii, commonly known as ocean bluff milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, and Coastal dunes, growing at elevations from 3 to 120 meters. Astragalus nuttallii var. nuttallii is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus nuttallii (T. & G.) J.T. Howell var. nuttallii
Common Name:	ocean bluff milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F641
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASNUN2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jan-Nov	Jan-Nov
Elevation:	3-120 (10-395)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal dunes
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4T4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:	changed from 4.2 to 4.3 on 2025-02-03

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN), Monterey (MNT), San Francisco (SFO)*, San Luis Obispo (SLO), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Sur (3612137), Cambria (3512151), Cape San Martin (3512184), Casmalia (3412075), Lopez Point (3612115), Marina (3612167), Montara Mountain (3712254), Monterey (3612158), Morro Bay North (3512047), Morro Bay South (3512037), Oceano (3512015), Pico Creek (3512152), Piedras Blancas (3512163), Pigeon Point (3712224), Point Bonita (3712275), Point Conception (3412044), Point Sal (3412086), Port San Luis (3512027), Salinas (3612166), San Francisco North (3712274), San Francisco South (3712264), San Gregorio (3712234), San Simeon (3512162), Soberanes Point (3612148), Soledad (3612143), Surf (3412065)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes




Threats:
Possibly threatened by foot traffic and road maintenance.
Taxonomy:
See Leaflets of Western Botany 5(6):107 (1948) for revised nomenclature.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 22 February 2025].