Hosackia gracilis
seaside bird's foot lotus
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
seaside bird's foot lotus
Fabaceae (Pea family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a stolon or rhizome; stems sprawling or ascending, 20-50 cm long, glabrous.
Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound; leaflets usually 5, opposite, elliptic to egg-shaped, 6-20 mm long; stipules large, triangular, membranous.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, long-stalked, axillary umbel of 3 to 9 pea-like flowers, the umbel-stalks with a generally 3-parted bract just below the umbel; corollas with yellow banner, pink-purple wings and purple-tipped keel; calyces 5-6 mm long, the teeth slightly shorter than the tube, the upper 2 joined for about 1/2 their length.
Fruits:
Pods, linear-oblong, 2-3 cm long; seeds few.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Habitat and Range
Moist open sites in the lowland zone; rare on SE Vancouver Island and adjacent islands; S to C CA.Status Information
| Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | S2 | Red | E (Nov 2010) |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lotus formosissimus Greene