Taxon Report

Astragalus lentiginosus Hook. var. micans Barneby

shining milk-vetch

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Taxon Summary

Astragalus lentiginosus var. micans, commonly known as shining milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Desert dunes, growing at elevations from 770 to 1175 meters. Astragalus lentiginosus var. micans is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus lentiginosus Hook. var. micans Barneby
Common Name:	shining milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0FB9C
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASLEM3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	770-1175 (2525-3855)
General Habitats:	Desert dunes
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G5T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	6
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	3
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
East of Joshua Flats (3711727), East of Waucoba Spring (3711717), Last Chance Range SW (3711716)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	6	100 %
Non-native plant impacts	6	100%
ORV activity	6	100%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	3	50%
Foot traffic/trampling	3	50%

Notes



Known only from dunes in Eureka and Panamint Valleys, within Death Valley NP. Habitat previously degraded by vehicle traffic; populations recovering well, but still threatened by vehicle trespass, foot traffic, and recreation, and possibly by non-native Russian thistle. Recovery plan has been completed by BLM. See Leaflets of Western Botany 8(1):22 (1956) for original description, Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 13:952-953 (1964) for taxonomic treatment, and Biological Conservation 46:217-242 (1988) for population biology.
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 26 October 2025].