Taxon Report

Astragalus anxius Meinke & Kaye

Ash Valley milk-vetch

Print Report

Rick York

Taxon Summary

Astragalus anxius, commonly known as Ash Valley milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1550 to 1645 meters. Astragalus anxius is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus anxius Meinke & Kaye
Common Name:	Ash Valley milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0FBD0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASAN18
Synonyms/Other Names:	Astragalus tegetarioides M.E. Jones

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	1550-1645 (5085-5395)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Volcanic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_UCSC; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.3 to 1B.2 on 2025-02-03

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Lassen (LAS)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ash Valley (4112016), Lane Reservoir (4112017)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	7
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	63 %
Foot traffic/trampling	3	37%
Grazing	1	12%
Logging	1	12%
ORV activity	1	12%
Other	1	12%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	12%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	12%

Notes



Protected in part by Ash Valley RNA (BLM).
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Madroño 39(3):193-204 (1992)

Astragalus anxius profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2017)

Fremontia 16(1):15-17 (1988) see A. tegetarioides

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 19 November 2025].