Description
Astragalus nitidiflorus is endemic to the province of Murcia (southern Spain), where it forms the only known metapopulation worldwide. It is classified as Extinct in accordance with IUCN (2006) criteria. ==Etymology==
Biology
The life cycle of A. nitidiflorus begins with seeds, which germinate in autumn and winter. In summer, leaves and stems die and only a few buds remain at the base of the stem at ground level. After the autumn rains, the dormant buds of the P1 plants that have survived the summer sprout and begin a second stage of growth. A. nitidiflorus is a short-lived legume that colonizes old fields on volcanic soils. Most seeds and fruits were distributed in the soil surface layer (Table S1), and, except for 2011, most seeds were found inside fruits. This is explained by the type of fruit of A. nitidiflorus, an indehiscent and hard legume that prevents rapid release of seeds, which remain some years inside the fruit. Moreover, the considerable size of these fruits (ca. 1.9 cm 0.8 cm) hampers their burial, and nearly 100% them were on the soil surface. Habitat and cultivation The seed bank is poor and very sensitive to changes in population size. The indehiscent fruit determines seed distribution in the soil around its mother plants. "A. nitidiflorus is able to form a short-term persistent soil seed bank". Threats to species "Natural regeneration is not expected for patches where the species disappeared few years ago". ==References==