Acmispon argophyllus var. argenteus

Channel Islands silver lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Channel Islands silver lotus is a California native perennial found in the Channel Islands (excluding Santa Cruz Island) in chaparral and bluff habitats at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white to yellow flowers in compact clusters 1.5 to 2 centimeters wide. Growing with prostrate to ascending light gray woody stems, it forms a somewhat open, spreading habit. Its leaves are light and not densely clustered, with a delicate silvery appearance characteristic of its variety. The plant's low-growing, silvery structure makes it well-adapted to the exposed, windswept conditions of the Channel Islands.

Habitat: Chaparral, bluffs

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: ChI (exc Santa Cruz Island).

California counties: Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Clara, San Francisco

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.