Acmispon tomentosus
Heermann's lotus
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Acmispon tomentosus (Heermann's lotus) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family.
Heermann's lotus is a California native perennial found in coastal and inland areas of western California in grasslands and chaparral at lower elevations. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with dark red-tipped petals in small clusters of 3 to 8 blooms. Growing with prostrate stems that often form dense mats up to 10 decimeters long, it spreads with soft, spreading hairs especially near the stem tips. Its leaves have 4 to 6 leaflets that are ovate to obovate, ranging from green to silver-gray, with each leaflet measuring 4 to 16 millimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, slightly curved pod about 5 millimeters long with a distinctive 2 to 3 millimeter curved beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all other species in genus
Habitat and range
California counties: Riverside, Monterey, Los Angeles, Tulare, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Orange, Santa Barbara
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 tomentosus native to California?
Yes. Acmispon tomentosus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Acmispon tomentosus grow?
Acmispon tomentosus occurs in Riverside, Monterey, Los Angeles, Tulare, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Marin and other counties.
What plant family does Acmispon tomentosus belong to?
Acmispon tomentosus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Acmispon.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Acmispon tomentosus var. glabriusculus — Heermann's lotus
- Acmispon tomentosus var. tomentosus — Round leaved heermann's lotus
- Acmispon wrangelianus — Chilean trefoil
- Acmispon americanus var. americanus — American bird's foot trefoil
- Acmispon argophyllus — Silver birds foot trefoil
- Acmispon argophyllus var. adsurgens — San clemente island bird's-foot trefoil
- Aeschynomene rudis — Rough jointvetch
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.