Listing
Nov 26, 1991
Nov 26, 1991 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Proposed Endangered Status for Astragalus Applegatei (Applegate's Milk-Vetch); 56 FR 5991…
- Publication type: Proposed
Item 1
FWS Focus
Overview
Characteristics
Overview
Applegate’s milkvetch is a rare species of perennial herb belonging to the pea family. It was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1983. It is endemic to Klamath County, Oregon, where much of the remaining habitat is seriously threatened by development, introduced plant species and other forces. Applegate's milk-vetch was federally listed as endangered without critical habitat in 1993. A recovery plan was published in 1998 and a 5-year review published in 2009. An amendment to the draft recovery plan was written in 2019.
Habitat loss and alteration due to urban and commercial development in and around Klamath Falls, Oregon are the most significant threats to Applegate’s milkvetch. Habitat loss due to competitive exclusion by non-native weeds is a further threat to the species, as is herbivory from insects, livestock and rabbits, as well as seed predation by insects. The low number of occurrences of Applegate’s milkvetch and the small number of plants at each occurrence put the species at risk from random events like floods and fires. Due to the limited gene pool of this species, decreased reproduction may result.
Scientific Name
Astragalus applegatei
Common Name
Applegate's milkvetch
Applegate's milk-vetch
FWS Category
Flowering Plants
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Characteristic category
Physical Characteristics
Characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Applegate's milk-vetch occurs in flat-lying, seasonally moist, strongly alkaline soils with sparse, native bunch grasses and patches of bare soil.
There is little variation between the vegetative communities found at each population of Applegates milkvetch. The species’ vegetation community was described in 1985 as a grassland/bunchgrass flat with 10-20 percent bare ground. Patches of bare soil have become relatively rare, except in areas too moist, alkaline, or compacted to support any vegetation at all. Due to exotic weed colonization, a dense vegetative cover including quack grass (Elytrigia repens) and annual brome grasses (Bromus spp.) is now present at extant Applegate’s milk-vetch locations.
Size & Shape
Applegate's milkvetch has clustered or spreading stems growing from a single taproot. The plant may form mats over a yard wide and 12 to 15 inches tall. The stems are 12 to 16 inches long, and the small greenish gray smooth leaves are typically 1.4 to 2.8 inches long ,with 7 to 11 leaflets. The petals are whitish, to pale lilac, and measure up to a third of an inch long.
Color & Pattern
Applegate's milkvetch has white to creamy petals and the tip of the keel is faintly lilac - tinged. The seed pods are green or with faintly purple speckled pod valves.
Characteristic category
Life Cycle
Characteristics
Life Cycle
A pod opens at maturity, from the top of the pod downward. Applegate's milkvetch typically flowers from June to early August.
Characteristic category
Habitat
Characteristics
Habitat
Applegate's milkvetch occurs in flat-lying, seasonally moist, strongly alkaline soils with sparse, native bunch grasses and patches of bare soil.
There is little variation between the vegetative communities found at each population of Applegates milkvetch, which were described in 1985 as a grassland/bunchgrass flat with 10 to 20 percent bare ground. Patches of bare soil have become relatively rare, except in areas too moist, alkaline or compacted to support any vegetation at all. Due to non-native weed colonization, a dense vegetative cover including quack grass (Elytrigia repens) and annual brome grasses (Bromus spp.) is now present at extant Applegate’s milkvetch locations.
Geography
Characteristics
Range
Applegate’s milkvetch is a narrow endemic that is restricted to the Lower Klamath Basin of southern Oregon, near the city of Klamath Falls. Although historically there were more sites, currently only six known occurrences remain, three of which are quite small.
Timeline
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6 Items