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Astragalus ampullarioides

(Welsh) Welsh

Shivwits Milkvetch

G1Critically Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
Very highThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135255
Element CodePDFAB0FBK0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusAstragalus
Synonyms
Astragalus eremiticus var. ampullarioidesWelsh
Concept Reference
Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins (eds.) 1993. A Utah flora. 2nd edition. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah. 986 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Welsh (1993), USFWS (e.g., 2006), and FNA (2023, vol. 11) recognize at the full species level: Astragalus ampullarioides (Great Basin Naturalist 58(1):51). In contrast, Kartesz (1994, 1999), Isely (1998), and Barneby (1989) do not recognize this entity, at either the species or infraspecific levels, instead including A. ampullarioides (also known as A. eremiticus var. ampullarioides) in A. eremiticus, with no varieties recognized.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2015-11-10
Change Date1991-07-19
Edition Date2015-11-10
Edition AuthorsJ. Snyder (1997), rev. L. Morse (2001), rev. A. Treher (2015)
Threat ImpactVery high
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Edaphic endemic with a very small range that occurs on one geological formation in Washington Co., Utah. There are seven extant populations with most of the potential habitat previously destroyed by urban development. More than 50 percent of known populations has been destroyed (from about 2000 to less than 1000 individuals). (Armstrong and Harper 1991, VanBuren 1992). Threats include development, trampling, grazing, and pollinator declines.
Range Extent Comments
Endemic to a single geological formation in one area of Washington Co., Utah.
Occurrences Comments
Between 6 and 8 populations (USFWS 2006, SEINET 2015).
Threat Impact Comments
Urban and agricultural development and grazing (species is extremely palatable to both wildlife and livestock). Development around some sites may impact pollinator abundance and although this species can self fertilize, seed set is much lower than when cross pollinated (Breinholt et al. 2009).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Gypsiferous substrates, in "boils" on the Chinle Formation (Welsh et al. 2003).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
UtahS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculturePervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber cropsPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseasesPervasive - largeExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (1)
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Pine Valley MountainsDixie National Forest57,673
References (13)
  1. Armstrong, L., and K.T. Harper. 1991. Astragalus holmgreniorum and Astragalus ampullarius status report. Unpublished report on file with the BLM, Salt Lake City, Utah. 13 pp + appendices.
  2. Barneby, R.C. 1989. Fabales. In A. Cronquist, A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K. Holmgren (eds.). Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. 3, Part B. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 279 pp.
  3. Breinholt, J.W., R. Van Buren, O.R. Kopp, and C.L. Stephen. 2009. Population genetic structure of an endangered Utah endemic,<i> Astragalus ampullarioides</i> (Fabaceae). American Journal of Botany 96(3):661–667.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 11. Magnoliophyta: Fabaceae, parts 1+2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvii + 1108 pp.
  5. Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii). Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University; MLBM Press, Provo, Utah. 1007 pp.
  6. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2015. Collections Databases. Online. Available: http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/. Acessed 2015.
  9. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2006. <i>Astragalus holmgreniorum</i> (Holmgren milk-vetch) and <i>Astragalus ampullarioides</i> (Shivwits milk-vetch) five year recovery plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado. xi + 106 pp
  10. Van Buren, R. 1992. Astragalus Species, Field Report 1992. Unpublished report on file with the BLM, Salt Lake City, Utah. 11 pp + appendices.
  11. Welsh, S.L. 1986. New taxa in miscellaneous families from Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 46(2): 261-264.
  12. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins (eds.) 1993. A Utah flora. 2nd edition. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah. 986 pp.
  13. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich and L.C. Higgins. (Eds.) 2003. A Utah Flora. 3rd edition. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, U.S.A. 912 pp.