Acmispon brachycarpus
Short podded lotus
(c) Joe Decruyenaere, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Acmispon brachycarpus (Short podded lotus) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by short, wide pods and blade-like leaf axes.
Short podded lotus is a California native annual found in the California Floristic Province and desert regions in grasslands, oak and pine woodlands, and desert flats and mountains at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow flowers that redden with age, with blossoms 5 to 9 millimeters long. Growing with soft-spreading hairs in mat-forming or ascending stems 5 to 40 centimeters tall, it spreads in ashy green or green patches. Its leaves have 4 leaflets, each 4 to 12 millimeters long, typically elliptic to obovate in shape. The fruit is an ascending, dehiscent pod 6 to 12 millimeters long with a slightly bent beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 45 sympatric species; distinguished by short, wide pods and blade-like leaf axes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Abundant. Grassland, oak and pine woodland, desert flats and mountains, roadsides
Elevation: < 1700 m
California counties: Humboldt, Ventura, Contra Costa, San Bernardino, Tulare, Kern, Los Angeles, San Diego, Colusa, Inyo, Riverside, Amador, Marin, Butte, Shasta, Sonoma, Lake, Glenn, Mendocino, Trinity, Yuba, Fresno, Sutter, Tehama, Merced, Nevada, Siskiyou, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Napa, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Monterey, San Benito, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Madera, El Dorado, Santa Clara, Yolo, Placer, Stanislaus, Solano, San Joaquin, Modoc
Outside California: to southwestern Utah, western New Mexico, Mexico
Bloom period
Acmispon brachycarpus blooms Mar-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Lotus: Same genus - Lotus is an older name for Acmispon, now considered synonymous.; vs Ottleya: Acmispon has yellow pea-shaped flowers in umbels; Ottleya (a buckwheat relative) has tiny white/pink flowers without pea shape.; vs Eriogonum: Acmispon has compound leaves with 3 leaflets; buckwheats (Eriogonum) have simple leaves.; vs Genista: Acmispon leaves are compound with 3 leaflets; Genista (broom) has simple or very small trifoliate leaves on ridged green stems.; vs Hosackia: Acmispon has tiny gland-like stipules; Hosackia has conspicuous papery or leaf-like stipules at leaf bases.
Frequently asked questions
Is Acmispon brachycarpus native to California?
Yes. Acmispon brachycarpus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Acmispon brachycarpus bloom?
Acmispon brachycarpus blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Acmispon brachycarpus grow?
Acmispon brachycarpus occurs in Humboldt, Ventura, Contra Costa, San Bernardino, Tulare, Kern, Los Angeles, San Diego and other counties, at elevations of < 1700 m.
What plant family does Acmispon brachycarpus belong to?
Acmispon brachycarpus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Acmispon.
What habitat does Acmispon brachycarpus grow in?
Acmispon brachycarpus grows in Abundant. Grassland, oak and pine woodland, desert flats and mountains, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.