Acmispon tomentosus var. glabriusculus

Heermann's lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Heermann's lotus is a California native perennial found in southern California coastal areas, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions in washes, riverbanks, and chaparral at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from March to October, this plant produces small yellow flowers approximately 4 to 5 millimeters long. Growing with slender, spreading stems that are soft and densely covered in fine hairs, it forms low, spreading clumps across its habitat. Its leaves are compound with multiple small leaflets, typically soft-textured and grayish-green, characteristic of its tomentose (woolly) nature. The delicate flowers and fine, hairy foliage make this lotus a subtle but charming component of its dry, open landscape environments.

Habitat: Washes, riverbanks, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Oct

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: SCo, SnBr, PR, DSon.

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey

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