Taxon Report

Astragalus traskiae Eastw.

Trask's milk-vetch

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Taxon Summary

Astragalus traskiae, commonly known as Trask's milk-vetch, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal dunes, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 5 to 245 meters. Astragalus traskiae is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Astragalus traskiae Eastw.
Common Name:	Trask's milk-vetch
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB0F910
USDA Plants Symbol:	ASTR4
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Feb-Jul	Feb-Jul
Elevation:	5-245 (15-805)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal dunes, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	CR
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	15
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	13
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
San Nicolas Island (3311924), Santa Barbara Island (3311848)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	13 %
Non-native plant impacts	2	13%
Erosion/runoff	1	6%

Notes



Populations on SBR Isl. declined severely in the late 1980's. Possibly threatened by Navy activities on SNI Isl. See Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences III 1:102 (1898) for original description, and Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 13:461-463 (1964) for taxonomic treatment.
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 4 November 2025].