Acmispon prostratus

Nuttall's acmispon, Nuttall's acmispon, Nuttall's acmispon

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Nuttall's acmispon is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in southern coastal California in western San Diego County on beaches, coastal scrub, and disturbed areas at elevations below 30 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow flowers often marked with red, 5 to 7 millimeters long, in compact clusters of 3 to 8 blooms. Growing with prostrate or ascending stems 10 to 100 centimeters long, it spreads in low, sprawling formations. Its leaves are irregularly pinnate with 3 to 6 oblanceolate to obovate leaflets, each 4 to 10 millimeters long. The fruit is an unusual linear curved pod 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, occasionally featuring small horn-like processes and a hooked 2 to 3 millimeter beak.

Habitat: Beaches, coastal scrub, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 30 m

Bioregions: s SCo (w San Diego Co.)

California counties: San Diego

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