Lotus uliginosus

Marsh lotus

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Marsh lotus is a naturalized perennial herb found in northern California coastal regions, San Francisco Bay Area, and expected in other locations, growing in wet fields and roadsides at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in compact clusters of 8 to 12 blooms. Growing with ascending, generally hollow stems that are often fleshy and glabrous or long-shaggy-hairy, it reaches moderate heights with a rhizomatous growth habit. Its distinctive leaves feature 5 leaflets, each broadly obovate and 8 to 25 millimeters long with obtuse tips. The fruit develops as a narrowly oblong pod 2 to 3 centimeters long, containing a few seeds.

Habitat: Wet fields, roadsides

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, SnFrB, expected elsewhere

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