Acmispon decumbens

Sierra lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sierra lotus is a California native perennial found in montane and alpine habitats at elevations where mat-forming or ascending plants can thrive. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with distinctive wings larger than its keel, measuring 5 to 10 millimeters long. Growing with delicate stems 5 to 10 centimeters tall, it forms low-spreading mats with soft, wavy hairs covering its structure. Its leaves are uniquely arranged with 3 to 5 obovate to oblong leaflets, each 4 to 12 millimeters long, displaying green or grayish coloration. The plant's fruits are distinctive, with a narrow recurved beak 2 to 3 millimeters long and a tapered-oblong shape that curves slightly downward.

California counties: San Bernardino, Plumas, Los Angeles, Butte, Sierra, Placer, San Diego, Riverside, Siskiyou, Tulare, Trinity, Humboldt, Tuolumne, Tehama, Mariposa, Amador, Fresno, Kern, Calaveras, Nevada, El Dorado, Mendocino, Sonoma

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