Taxon Report

Astragalus albens Greene

Cushenbury milk-vetch

Print Report

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus albens Greene
Common Name:	Cushenbury milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F0A0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASAL4
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	1095-2000 (3595-6560)
General Habitats:	Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:	Carbonate (usually), Granitic (rarely)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	FE
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	23
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	9
Fair (C)	5
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Cougar Buttes (3411647), Fawnskin (3411638), Rattlesnake Canyon (3411636)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	18	78 %
Mining	14	60%
ORV activity	9	39%
Road/trail construction/maint.	7	30%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	3	13%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	8%
Grazing	2	8%
Other	2	8%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	8%
Development	1	4%

Notes



See Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences 1:156 (1885) for original description, and Fremontia 16(1):20-21 (1988) for discussion of mining threats.
Threats:
Threatened by carbonate mining, grazing, energy development, road construction, and vehicles.
Taxonomy:

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 6 January 2025].