Taxon Report

Astragalus ravenii Barneby

Raven's milk-vetch

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Astragalus ravenii, commonly known as Raven's milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 3355 to 3460 meters. Astragalus ravenii is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus ravenii Barneby
Common Name:	Raven's milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F7F0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASRA5
Synonyms/Other Names:	Astragalus monoensis Barneby var. ravenii (Barneby) Isley

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Sep	Jul-Sep
Elevation:	3355-3460 (11010-11350)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Gravelly
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	4
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Inyo (INY)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Aberdeen (3611883), Mt. Morgan (3711846), Mt. Pinchot (3611884)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	50 %
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	50%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	25%

Notes



Known from fewer than five occurrences. See Aliso 4:131 (1958) for original description, Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 13:967-968 (1964) for taxonomic treatment, and Systematic Botany 8(4):423 (1983) for revised nomenclature.
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 29 October 2025].