Astragalus pinonis

M.E. Jones

Pinyon Milkvetch

G2Imperiled (G2G3) Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.153457
Element CodePDFAB0F6V0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusAstragalus
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Astragalus pinonis M.E. Jones includes Astragalus pinonis var. atwoodii (Welsh & Thorne) Barneby & Isely, which has also been treated as a species; A. atwoodii Welsh & Thorne, here included under A. pinonis M.E. Jones.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2021-05-10
Change Date1996-12-02
Edition Date2021-05-10
Edition AuthorsB. Franklin (1996), C. Nordman (2021).
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Discontinuously dispersed from eastcentral and southeast Nevada to central and southwest Utah and northwest Arizona. There are few collections of this species. However, the plants are inconspicuous, probably often overlooked, and, as the habitat is common across the species' range, it is undoubtedly more common than the number of collections would indicate.
Range Extent Comments
Astragalus pinonis occurs in the western United States, it is most common in east central and southeast Nevada, and also occurs more rarely in southern Utah and northern Arizona (NatureServe Network Database as of May 2021, SEINet 2021).
Occurrences Comments
There are about 35 occurrences of Astragalus pinonis, most are in Nevada. It is quite rare in both southern Utah and northern Arizona.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Astragalus pinonis occurs in low sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities on dry hillsides and valley floors in sandy clay soils, or gravels derived from limestone, or igneous rock. Often inconspicuously growing up through a canopy of black sagebrush (Artemisia nova). It grows at 1550-2450 m elevation.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
NevadaSNRYes
UtahS1Yes
ArizonaS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (3)
Nevada (3)
AreaForestAcres
Currant - BlackrockHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest3,694
Currant - East SlopeHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest10,101
Currant - SawmillHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,364
References (5)
  1. Barneby, R.C. 1964. Atlas of North American Astragalus. 2 Vols. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 1188 pp.
  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. Kartesz, J.T. 1988. A flora of Nevada. Ph.D. dissertation. Univ. of Nevada, Reno. 3 volumes. 1729 pp.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.