Hosackia oblongifolia var. oblongifolia

Narrow leaved lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Narrow leaved lotus is a California native perennial found in the California Floristic Province, North Coast Ranges, and Mojave Desert in open, moist forest, river bottoms, and marshy meadows at elevations of 200 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces yellow flowers 9 to 13 millimeters long. Growing with spreading stems up to 30 to 50 centimeters tall, it forms delicate clumps in moist environments. Its compound leaves have 7 to 11 leaflets that can be hairy or smooth, with each leaflet elongated and lance-shaped. In marshy habitats, the plant creates dense clusters of bright yellow blossoms that attract local pollinators.

Habitat: Locally common. Open, moist forest, river bottoms, marshy meadows

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: 200-2400 m

Bioregions: CA-FP, MP, DMoj

California counties: Fresno, Kern, San Diego, Los Angeles, Tulare, San Bernardino, Plumas, Sonoma, Amador, Siskiyou, Tehama, Butte, Shasta, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Glenn, Lake, Trinity, Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, Mariposa, Inyo, Madera, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, El Dorado, Riverside, Ventura, Tuolumne, Mono, Sierra

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