Acmispon dendroideus
Island broom
(c) Casey H. Richart, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Acmispon dendroideus (Island broom) is a native California subshrub in the Fabaceae family, recognized by Channel Islands shrub with yellow flowers.
Island broom is a California native perennial herb or shrub found in coastal and island habitats. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with wings approximately equal to the keel, each bloom 8 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 50 to 200 centimeters tall that are sparsely strigose or silky, it has a variable green or gray appearance. Its leaves are irregularly pinnate with 7 to 15 millimeter leaflets that are elliptic to obovate in shape, carried on gland-like stipules. The fruit is an indehiscent, oblong-tapering pod with a narrow, abruptly curved beak 2 to 3 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species; Channel Islands shrub with yellow flowers
Habitat and range
California counties: Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles
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 dendroideus native to California?
Yes. Acmispon dendroideus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Acmispon dendroideus grow?
Acmispon dendroideus occurs in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles.
What plant family does Acmispon dendroideus belong to?
Acmispon dendroideus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Acmispon.
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.