Lens culinaris

Lentil

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Lentil is a naturalized annual found in central western California in disturbed areas at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces small whitish flowers approximately 6 millimeters long. Growing with delicate stems up to 45 centimeters tall, it appears finely hairy throughout its structure. Its compound leaves feature 10 to 14 narrow leaflets, each 7 to 15 millimeters long and roughly oblong to elliptic in shape. The fruit develops as a pendant pod 1 to 1.4 centimeters long, containing one or two flat, lentil-shaped seeds.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: CW

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