Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis
Barneby
Fish Slough Milkvetch
T1T1Global Rank
Very highThreat Impact
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.140533
Element CodePDFAB0FB9E
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationVariety
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusAstragalus
Other Common Names
Fish Slough milkvetch (EN)
Concept Reference
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.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2016-09-12
Change Date1988-03-08
Edition Date2016-09-12
Edition AuthorsBittman, R.L., rev. C. Russell, rev. Bittman and Treher (2016)
Threat ImpactVery high
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Restricted to a 16 km stretch of alkaline flats in Mono County, California. There are 8 populations with a total of approximately 4,500 plants. Threatened by construction related to fisheries enhancement programs and by off-road vehicles. Grazing is a threat, and low reproductive success in some populations may be attributable to cattle, jackrabbit, rodent, and insect herbivory. However, some populations (including the single largest) are protected from livestock grazing.
Range Extent Comments
Restricted to a 10-mile stretch of alkaline flats paralleling Fish Slough, Mono County, California.
Threat Impact Comments
Threatened with alternation and destruction of habitat resulting from construction related to fisheries enhancement activities, off-road vehicle activity, discing for agricultural purposes, livestock grazing, predation by rabbits, and possibly groundwater pumping. (Rutherford, 1992)
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Alkali flats along a stretch of spring-fed wetlands. Soils are loamy fine sands, usually with an alkali crust. The plants are typically found along the borders of a slough and they seem to be restricted to seasonally moist areas which support cord grass-dropseed (Spartina-Sporobolis) associations; they are absent from nearby lower, wetter habitats.
Moist alkaline soil banks; Elevation: 1300 m (Jepson Flora Project 2017).
Moist alkaline soil banks; Elevation: 1300 m (Jepson Flora Project 2017).
Reproduction
Plants produce relatively few seeds (USFWS 2009).
Terrestrial Habitats
Playa/salt flat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| California | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 - Agriculture & aquaculture | Large - restricted | Serious - moderate | High (continuing) |
| 2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Large (31-70%) | Serious or 31-70% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching | Restricted (11-30%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 6 - Human intrusions & disturbance | Large (31-70%) | Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 6.1 - Recreational activities | Large (31-70%) | Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 7 - Natural system modifications | Large (31-70%) | Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 7.2 - Dams & water management/use | Large (31-70%) | Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Large (31-70%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 8.2 - Problematic native species/diseases | Large (31-70%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (3)
California (3)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary Peak (CA) | Inyo National Forest | 210,884 |
| Coyote North | Inyo National Forest | 11,932 |
| Coyote Southeast | Inyo National Forest | 53,159 |
References (6)
- Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
- Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2015. Jepson Online Interchange for California Floristics. Accessed online: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/
- 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.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1992. Proposed rule for seven desert milk-vetch taxa from California and Nevada. Federal Register 57(90): 19844-19851.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1996. Draft Owens Basin wetland and aquatic species recovery plan, Inyo and Mono counties, California. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. 133 pp.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2009. <i>Astragalus lentiginosus </i>var. <i>piscinensis </i>(Fish Slough milk-vetch) 5-Year Review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office Ventura, California. 20 pp.