Lotus argophyllus
Encyclopedia
Lotus argophyllus is a species of legume
known by the common name silver bird's-foot trefoil. It is endemic to California
, where it can be found in several of the coastal and inland mountain ranges in chaparral
and other habitat types. It 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 sepal
s. The fruit is legume pod generally containing a single seed.
There are several varieties of this species.
Faboideae
Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. One acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....
known by the common name silver bird's-foot trefoil. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it can be found in several of the coastal and inland mountain ranges in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and other habitat types. It 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
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of many tubular yellow flowers each about a centimeter long, encased at the base in a calyx of silky-hairy sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s. The fruit is legume pod generally containing a single seed.
There are several varieties of this species.
- L. a. var. adsurgens, the San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil, is endemic to San Clemente IslandSan Clemente IslandSan Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
, one of the Channel Islands of CaliforniaChannel Islands of CaliforniaThe Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. It is rare. - L. a. var. argenteus is known from several of the Channel Islands.
- L. a. var. argophyllus is the more common variety which can be found throughout the range of the species.
- L. a. var. fremontii is known only from the Sierra Nevada.
- L. a. var. niveus, the Santa Cruz Island bird's-foot trefoil, is endemic to Santa Cruz IslandSanta Cruz IslandSanta Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service . The island, located off the coast of California, is long and from wide...
, another of the Channel Islands. It is rare.