Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for Two Plants and Threatened Status for Four Plants From Southern California

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determines endangered status for Astragalus brauntonii (Braunton's milk-vetch) and Pentachaeta lyonii (Lyon's pentachaeta) and threatened status for Dudleya abramsii ssp. parva (Conejo dudleya), Dudleya cymosa ssp. marcescens (marcescent dudleya), Dudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia (Santa Monica Mountains dudleya), and Dudleya verityi (Verity's dudleya). These taxa occur in grassland, chaparral, or coastal sage scrub habitats in the mountains surrounding the Los Angeles basin, California. The six plants are threatened by one or more of the following--urban development, recreational activities, alteration of fire cycles and fire suppression activities, overcollecting, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and competition from invasive weeds. Several of the plants are also threatened by naturally occurring events by virtue of their small numbers and population sizes. This rule implements the protection and recovery provisions provided by the Endangered Species Act (Act) for these plants.