Spanish Clover, Spanish Lotus
Lotus purshianus var. purshianus
Color: White tinged with rose
Common name: Spanish Clover, Spanish Lotus
Latin name: Lotus purshianus var. purshianus
Family: FABACEAE
Height: 2-23 inches
Description: The plant is generally hairy with a prostrate to erect stem, simple or openly branched. The corolla is 5–9 mm.
Leaf: Generally there are 3 leaftlets, feather-like or ± simple; generally 1–2 cm, lanceolate to the shape of a flattened circle or sphere.
Range: Northern Mojave Desert, California (except Sonoran Desert)
Habitat: Coast, chaparral, mtn forests, water courses, desert and roadsides and other weedy areas. Common in dry fields and disturbed places.
Elevation: 0–2400 m.
Flowering time: May–Oct
Notes: This photo was taken July 15, 2005, near the Mojave River, Hesperia, San Bernardino County, California. Lotus purshianus var. purshianus, a dicot, is an annual herb that is native to California and is also found elsewhere in North America and beyond. Distribution outside California: to Canada, c US, Mexico.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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