Taxon Report

Astragalus austiniae A. Gray

Austin's astragalus

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Taxon Summary

Astragalus austiniae, commonly known as Austin's astragalus, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 2440 to 2970 meters. Astragalus austiniae is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus austiniae A. Gray
Common Name:	Austin's astragalus
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F120
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASAU
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: (May)Jul-Sep	(May)Jul-Sep
Elevation:	2440-2970 (8005-9745)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2G3
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:	changed from CBR to 1B.3 on 2013-12-04 Considered But Rejected on 2010-03-15

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	12
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	11

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alpine (ALP), El Dorado (ELD), Nevada (NEV), Placer (PLA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Echo Lake (3812071), Emerald Bay (3812081), Granite Chief (3912023), Independence Lake (3912043), Norden (3912033), South Lake Tahoe (3811988), Tragedy Spring (3812062), Webber Peak (3912044)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	17 %
Foot traffic/trampling	2	16%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	16%

Notes



Previously CBR as being too common; rarer than originally throught. Known in CA only from the Lake Tahoe region. Similar to A. andersonii. See Geological Survey of California, Botany 1:156 (1876) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B.3, G2G3 / S2S3 (2013)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 29 November 2025].