Astragalus endopterus (Fabaceae), a species purported as extinct, found in northern Arizona, U.S.A.

Abstract

Astragalus endopterus (Barneby) Barneby, listed as an extinct species in a recent Conservation Biology paper (Knapp et al. 2021) was found in abundance after three hours of targeted searching. Continued searches revealed thousands of plants. Our work has doubled the known range of the species. Astragalus endopterus seems to mostly occur on sheetwash deposits composed of particles derived mostly from windblown sands along with a component of clay probably derived from the Chinle Formation. We have no indications that the species may have been in decline or was ever on the verge of extinction.