Bituminaria bituminosa
Arabian pea, Arabian Pea
(c) Eleftherios Katsillis, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Eleftherios Katsillis · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Subshrub · Not Native
Bituminaria bituminosa (Arabian pea) is a non-native California subshrub in the Fabaceae family, recognized by Recent Mediterranean introduction with very limited California distribution.
Arabian pea is a naturalized perennial found in southern California coastal areas including the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills, and the southern California Transverse Ranges in open, disturbed sites, slopes, chaparral, and oak woodland at elevations below 1,100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white to violet flowers 12 to 14 millimeters long with distinctive fan-shaped bracts. Growing with strigose stems densely covered in white and black hairs, it forms a compact plant with leafy stems. Its compound leaves have entire leaflets 2 to 5 centimeters long, arranged alternately along the stem. The fruit is a compressed, hairy ovate body 4 to 5 millimeters long with a nearly glabrous beak 7 to 10 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Recent Mediterranean introduction with very limited California distribution
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, disturbed sites, slopes, chaparral, oak woodland
Elevation: < 1100 m
Outside California: Mediterranean Europe, cultivated
Bloom period
Bituminaria bituminosa blooms Apr-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Hoita: Bituminaria has united fan-shaped bracts; Hoita has separate, unjoined bracts.; vs Rupertia: Bituminaria flowers are blue-purple; Rupertia flowers are cream to yellow.; vs Acmispon: Bituminaria has united fan-shaped bracts and swollen fruiting calyxes; Acmispon has umbellate flowers without united bracts.; vs Astragalus: Bituminaria has united fan-shaped bracts at nodes; Astragalus has simple bracts.; vs Medicago: Bituminaria has inflated balloon-like fruiting calyxes; Medicago has spirally coiled prickly fruits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bituminaria bituminosa native to California?
No. Bituminaria bituminosa is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Bituminaria bituminosa bloom?
Bituminaria bituminosa blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Bituminaria bituminosa belong to?
Bituminaria bituminosa is in the Fabaceae family, genus Bituminaria.
What habitat does Bituminaria bituminosa grow in?
Bituminaria bituminosa grows in Open, disturbed sites, slopes, chaparral, oak woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
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.