Acmispon maritimus, synonym Lotus salsuginosus, is a species of legume native to Arizona, California and northwestern Mexico. It is known by the common name coastal bird's-foot trefoil. It grows in many types of mountain, desert, and scrub habitat, not necessarily near the coast. It is an annual herb quite variable in morphology, from petite to bushy, hairless to roughly hairy, and prostrate to erect in form. The slender stems are lined with leaves each made up of pairs of leaflets variable in shape and size. The inflorescence is a small array of 1 to 4 yellow flowers, each up to a centimeter long or so. The elongated flower corolla emerges from a tubular calyx of sepals. The fruit is a legume pod up to 3 centimeters long. Laboratory studies have shown this species, which occurs in wildfire-prone habitat such as chaparral, to have an increased rate of seed germination after exposure to heat.Keeley, J. E. & S. C. Keeley. (1987). Role of fire in the germination of chaparral herbs and suffrutescents . Madroño 34:3.
References
External links Jepson Manual Treatment USDA Plants Profile Acmispon maritimus at CalFlora. Accessed 4/27/2020 Acmispon maritimus var. brevivexillus at CalFLora Acmispon maritimus photo gallery at Cal Photos