Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Tribe Loteae Scientific name Lotus argophyllus Rank Species | Order Fabales Subfamily Faboideae Genus Lotus Higher classification Trefoil | |
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Similar Lotus dendroideus, Acmispon, Trefoil, Legumes, Acmispon heermannii | ||
Lotus argophyllus is a species of legume known by the common name silver bird's-foot trefoil or silver lotus. It is also sometimes classified as Acmispon argophyllus.
Contents
It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the southern California Coast Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Transverse Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, Southern California coastal zones, and the Channel Islands. It is found on sheltered rocky slopes in chaparral, conifer forest, and other habitat types.
Description
Lotus argophyllus is a perennial herb growing prostrate to erect, the base of its stem woody and tough and upper parts coat in silky silvery hairs. The leaves are each made up of pairs of hairy oval leaflike leaflets around a centimeter long.
The inflorescence is a cluster of many tubular yellow flowers each about a centimeter long, encased at the base in a calyx of silky-hairy sepals. The fruit is legume pod generally containing a single seed.
Varieties
The varieties of this species include: