Taxon Report

Astragalus bicristatus Gray

crested milk-vetch

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Astragalus bicristatus, commonly known as crested milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1700 to 2745 meters. Astragalus bicristatus is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus bicristatus Gray
Common Name:	crested milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F1A0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASBI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Aug	May-Aug
Elevation:	1700-2745 (5580-9005)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Carbonate (usually), Rocky (sometimes), Sandy (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

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)
Los Angeles (LAX), Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Butler Peak (3411731), Fawnskin (3411638), Mescal Creek (3411746), Moonridge (3411627), Mount San Antonio (3411736), Mt. Baldy (3411726), Telegraph Peak (3411735), Toro Peak (3311654)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Threatened by mining and development. Possibly threatened by recreational activities and vehicles.
Threats:

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 20 April 2025].