Native Plants

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Sturla, Gene

Lotus humistratus

Lotus humistratus Greene

Foothill Deervetch, Hill Lotus

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s): Hosackia brachycarpa

USDA Symbol: LOHU2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

A hairy, matted plant with many small yellow pea flowers, each nestled in axil of a pinnately compound leaf.

This common weed in California is attractive when covered with hundreds of deep yellow flowers. The similar Chilean Birdsfoot Trefoil (L. subpinnatus) has almost no hairs and grows on California's dry grassy slopes. It is one of nearly 100 plants of various genera also found in Chile and Argentina but not in the intervening thousands of miles. This natural distribution has yet to be satisfactorily explained.

From the Image Gallery

53 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , NM , NV , OR , TX , UT
Native Distribution: Most of California east across southern Nevada to southwestern Utah, Arizona, and western New Mexico; also in central Idaho.
Native Habitat: Disturbed ground, roadsides, riverbanks, gullies, trails, old fields, and vacant lots from low to moderate elevations.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Lotus humistratus in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Lotus humistratus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Lotus humistratus

Metadata

Record Modified: 2025-02-12
Research By: TWC Staff

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