Acmispon wrangelianus
Chilean trefoil
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Acmispon wrangelianus (Chilean trefoil) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by sessile flowers and red aging.
Chilean trefoil is a California native annual found in coastal California, including coastal bluffs and chaparral, at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow flowers that turn reddish with age, typically small and delicate. Growing with prostrate stems 5 to 30 centimeters long that branch at the base, it has a spreading, low-growing habit. Its leaves are irregularly pinnate with four elliptic to obovate leaflets, each 4 to 15 millimeters long, arranged along a flattened leaf axis. The fruit is an elongated dehiscent pod 10 to 18 millimeters long with a slightly curved beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 42 sympatric species; distinguished by sessile flowers and red aging
Habitat and range
Habitat: Abundant. Coastal bluffs, chaparral, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1500 m
California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Colusa, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, Butte, Contra Costa, Napa, Mendocino, Placer, Tehama, Fresno, Sutter, Glenn, Merced, Yolo, Lake, San Benito, Solano, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, Siskiyou, Modoc, Trinity, Humboldt, Mariposa, Santa Cruz, Monterey, El Dorado, San Diego, Tuolumne, Riverside, Orange, Santa Clara, Calaveras, Sacramento
Bloom period
Acmispon wrangelianus blooms Mar-Jun.
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 wrangelianus native to California?
Yes. Acmispon wrangelianus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Acmispon wrangelianus bloom?
Acmispon wrangelianus blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Acmispon wrangelianus grow?
Acmispon wrangelianus occurs in Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Colusa, Marin, Sonoma and other counties, at elevations of < 1500 m.
What plant family does Acmispon wrangelianus belong to?
Acmispon wrangelianus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Acmispon.
What habitat does Acmispon wrangelianus grow in?
Acmispon wrangelianus grows in Abundant. Coastal bluffs, chaparral, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Acmispon argophyllus var. argenteus — Channel Islands silver lotus
- Acmispon argophyllus var. argophyllus — Southern California silver lotus
- Acmispon argophyllus var. fremontii — Fremont's silver lotus
- Aeschynomene rudis — Rough jointvetch
- Aeschynomene sp.
- Albizia julibrissin — Silk tree
- Albizia sp.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.