Lotus formosissimus Calflora

Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit

Taxon Report

Lotus formosissimus Greene

(not an active name)

Coast lotus, Coastal lotus, Seaside bird's foot trefoil

Lotus formosissimus is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.

also called Hosackia gracilis


	Plant Range Observation Search ~608 records in California Plant Characteristics

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Lotus
Family:	Fabaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Communities: Northern Coastal Scrub, Closed-cone Pine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Alternate Names:


PLANTS	Hosackia gracilis
JEF + CNPS	Hosackia gracilis

Information about Lotus formosissimus from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX This plant is available commercially. USDA PLANTS Profile (LOFO2) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	ITIS Original Publication citation International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 04/02/2025).