Hoffmannseggia microphylla

Wand holdback

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Wand holdback is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada and southern Desert regions in sandy soils at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering in April, this plant produces yellow flowers with distinctive red markings on the banner petals, spreading 6 to 12 millimeters wide. Growing erect to 2.5 meters tall with a woody taproot, it has delicate compound leaves 2 to 5 centimeters long with 3 to 7 small secondary leaflets. Its leaves feature fine, tiny leaflets measuring 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters long, creating a soft, intricate foliage texture. The fruit is distinctively sickle-shaped, measuring 18 to 23 millimeters long.

Habitat: Common in sandy soils

Bloom period: Apr

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: s SNE, DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, Los Angeles, 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.