Acmispon junceus

Rush lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Rush lotus is a California native annual found in dry, open areas at low to mid-elevations. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers small to medium-sized clusters with 2 to 8 blooms. Growing with slender stems 8 to 40 centimeters tall, it has a delicate, finely hairy appearance. Its leaves are uniquely structured with 3 to 5 narrow, oblanceolate leaflets each 5 to 10 millimeters long, arranged on an sometimes flattened leaf axis. The small fruits are slightly arched, 6 to 8 millimeters long with a distinctive curved 2 to 3 millimeter beak.

California counties: Monterey, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura

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