Proboscidea lutea

Yellow devil's claw

Family: Martyniaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Yellow devil's claw is a naturalized annual found in the Great Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and potentially other regions in open, disturbed places at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow flowers often with an orange tinge and darker markings. Growing up to 20 centimeters tall with spreading stems, it develops distinctive branching habit in open areas. Its leaves are broad and rounded, typically 10 to 20 centimeters wide, with edges that may be entire or slightly toothed. The fruit is particularly notable, forming an ovate body 3 to 4 centimeters wide with short spines.

Habitat: Uncommon. Open, disturbed places

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: GV, SnFrB, expected elsewhere

California counties: Riverside, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, Kern, Solano, Placer, Butte, Sutter, Amador, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Colusa, Napa, Stanislaus, Yolo

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