short-flower bird's-foot-trefoil

Appearance

General: Mostly glabrous annual, the stems 1-3 dm. long, erect to prostrate, often branched, especially at the base.
Leaves: Leaves odd-pinnate; leaflets 3-5, oblong to oblong-obovate, 5-12 mm. long and 2-3 mm. broad, entire; stipules gland-like.
Flowers: Peduncles axillary, 3-20 mm. long, with a single bract of 2 or 3 leaflets just below the single flower; calyx 2 mm. long, the 5 linear-lanceolate lobes shorter than the tube; corolla pea-like, 4-5 mm. long, pale yellow, usually reddish-tinged.
Fruits: Pod 15-30 mm. long and 1.5-2.5 mm. broad, restricted between the 4-8 seeds.

Naming

Hosackia parviflora
Lotus micranthus

Distribution

Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades in Washington and in the Columbia River Gorge; British Columbia south to California.

Status

Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades in Washington and in the Columbia River Gorge; British Columbia south to California.

Habitat

Open slopes and sandy flats, seashore into the mountains.