Acmispon decumbens var. decumbens

Sierra nevada lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sierra nevada lotus is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central Coast, southern Coast, western Peninsular Range, and desert mountains in pine and fir forests, bracken meadows, and dry slopes at elevations of 850 to 2,750 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces yellow flowers with banners that dry to an orange-yellow color, arranged in compact clusters of 5 to 12 blooms. Growing with low-spreading stems that reach modest heights, it develops a delicate structure with leaf axes including petioles generally 5 to 10 millimeters long. Its leaves feature a compact arrangement with multiple leaflets, creating a fine, intricate foliage pattern. The fruit is small, measuring approximately 1.8 to 2 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Pine, fir forests, bracken meadows, dry slopes

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 850-2750 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaR, SN, CCo, SCo, w PR, DMtns

California counties: Butte, Kern, Tuolumne, Tulare, El Dorado, San Diego, Nevada, Trinity, Lassen, Tehama, Sierra, Plumas, Siskiyou, Placer, Lake, Shasta, Fresno, Los Angeles, Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Riverside, Calaveras, Madera, Ventura, Inyo, Amador, Mariposa, Alpine

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