Taxon Report

Astragalus brauntonii Parish

Braunton's milk-vetch

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Astragalus brauntonii, commonly known as Braunton's milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 4 to 640 meters. Astragalus brauntonii is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus brauntonii Parish
Common Name:	Braunton's milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F1G0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASBR6
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jan-Aug	Jan-Aug
Elevation:	4-640 (15-2100)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Burned areas (sometimes), Carbonate, Disturbed areas (sometimes), Sandstone (usually)
Microhabitat Details:	recent burns or disturbed areas, usually sandstone with carbonate layers

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	FE
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	57
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	10
Fair (C)	8
Poor (D)	5
None (X)	5
Unknown (U)	29

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX), Orange (ORA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Azusa (3411728), Beverly Hills (3411814), Black Star Canyon (3311776), Calabasas (3411826), Camarillo (3411921), Canoga Park (3411825)?, El Toro (3311766), Hollywood (3411813), Malibu Beach (3411816), Mt. Wilson (3411821), Newbury Park (3411828), Point Dume (3411817), Point Mugu (3411911), Prado Dam (3311786), Thousand Oaks (3411827), Topanga (3411815), Triunfo Pass (3411818)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	29	51 %
Development	18	31%
Improper burning regime	15	26%
Road/trail construction/maint.	15	26%
Non-native plant impacts	13	22%
Other	11	19%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	9	15%
Foot traffic/trampling	3	5%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	3	5%
Erosion/runoff	2	3%
ORV activity	2	3%
Grazing	1	1%

Notes



Threatened by development, vegetation/fuel management activities, and alteration of local fire regimes. See Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 2:26-27 (1903) for original description, and Fremontia 19(3):6-7 (1991) for species account.
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 16 November 2025].