Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae

San clemente island lotus, San Clemente Island lotus, San Clemente Island lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3 · Delisted

San clemente island lotus is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in southern Channel Islands, specifically on San Clemente Island, in bluffs and inland canyons near the ocean at elevations below 350 meters. Flowering from February to August, this plant produces yellow flowers in small clusters with distinctive bracted peduncles. Growing with slender stems up to 50 centimeters tall, it forms a delicate herbaceous structure with spreading branches. Its leaves have 3 to 5 leaflets, each finely hairy and appearing a soft, nearly green color. The fruit develops 2.5 to 5 centimeters long, adding to the plant's distinctive structural character.

Habitat: Bluffs, inland canyons, open sites near ocean

Bloom period: Feb-Aug

Elevation: < 350 m

Bioregions: s ChI (San Clemente Island).

California counties: Los Angeles

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