Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch

Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch, Southwest Desert Flora Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch, Southwest Desert Flora Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch, Southwest Desert Flora Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch, Southwest Desert Flora

Scientific Name: Lotus humistratus
Common Name: Foothill Deervetch

Also Called: Foothill Bird's-foot Trefoil, Hairy Deer Vetch, Hill Locust and Maresfat

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family

Synonyms: (Acmispon brachycarpus, Hosackia brachycarpa)

Status: Native

Duration: Annual

Size: Up to 4 inches ( cm) more or less.

Growth Form: Foothill Deervetch is a mat-forming forb/herb that may lay flat on the ground or grow upright; plants are fleshy and covered with short soft hairs.

Leaves: Foothill Deervetch has green leaves covered with short soft whitish hairs (pubescence); the leaves are compound with narrow leaflets.

Flower Color: Foothill Deervetch has yellow or orange small pea-like single flowers; the fruit is a pod.

Flowering Season: March to June.

Elevation: 5,000 feet (1,524 m) or usually lower.

Habitat Preferences: Low to mid-level elevations, desert flats, grasslands, oak, pine-woodland, mountains, very common on sandy deserts, roadsides and disturbed areas.

Recorded Range: In the United States, Lotus humistratus is native to the west and southwest in AZ, CA, ID, NM, NV, OR, TX and UT. It is also native to Baja California and northern Mexico.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Lotus humistratus.

North America species range map for Foothill Deervetch, Lotus humistratus:

North America species range map for Foothill Deervetch, Lotus humistratus:
Click image for full size map.

U.S. Weed Information: Unknown
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: Unknown
Wetland Indicator: Unknown
Threatened/Endangered Information: Unknown

Genus Information: In North America, USDA Plants Database lists 142 species for Lotus. Worldwide, World Flora Online includes 605 accepted species names for the genus.

The genus Lotus is under current taxonomic review and many species are now classified under the genus Acmispon.

The genus Lotus was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, (1707-1778).

In the Southwestern United States: Arizona has 15 species of Lotus, California has 35 species, Nevada has 12 species, New Mexico has 5 species, Texas has 4 species and Utah has 8 species. Data approximate, subject to revision.

The genus Lotus is under current taxonomic review and many species are now classified under the genus Acmispon. Lotus humistratus is now recognized as Acmispon brachycarpus.

Comments: Foothills Deervetch is a common Lotus found in both lower and middle elevations. This species, and other members of the genus Lotus, are also recognized under the genus name "Acmispon".

Also see in Southwest Desert Flora; Bird's Foot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus; Shrubby Deervetch, Lotus rigidus, Coastal Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lotus salsuginosus and Wright's Deervetch, Lotus wrightii.

Importance to Wildlife, Birds and Livestock
Foothill Deervetch, Lotus humistratus has attractive flowers, the flowers and their seeds may be visited by hummingbirds and/or small mammals including rodents and granivorous birds in search of nectar or food.

Beneficial Value to Butterflies, Honey Bees and Insects
Foothill Deervetch, Lotus humistratus has attractive flowers, the flowers and their plants may be visited by butterflies, moths, flies, honeybees, Native Bees and other insects in search of food and nectar.

****Special Value to Native Bees****
According to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation or other source, Foothill Deervetch, Lotus humistratus, is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of Native bees. Click here for more information on their Pollinator Conservation Program.

Etymology:
The genus “Lotus” (Lo'tus:); Greek origin, name applied to the taste of the Jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujuba); thought to induce contentment and forgetfulness.
The genus was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, (1707-1778).

The species epithet humistratus (humistra'tus:) means a low layer, this in reference to its low laying growing habit.

Ethnobotany - Native American Ethnobotany; University of Michigan - Dearborn
  • Karok Drug, Gynecological Aid; Infusion of plant taken and used as a wash by women in labor.
  • See ethno-botanical uses at Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn.

    Date Profile Completed: 08/23/2015 updated 02/01/2022
    References and additional information:

    Arizona Flora, Kearney, Thomas H., Peebles, Robert H., 1960, University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, California.
    Plants.USDA.gov; Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service on-line database and USGS ITIS search; accessed on-line; 02/01/2022.
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=LOHU2
    https://plants.usda.gov/home/basicSearchResults?resultId=1537d7bb-ad44-449b-a96c-abf757f2a14a
    World Flora Online; A Project of the World Flora Online Consortium; An Online Flora of All Known Plants - (accessed on-line; 01/14/2022)

    http://www.worldfloraonline.org/search?query=lotus
    Native Plant Information Network, NPIN. Published on the Internet http://www.wildflower.org/plants/; accessed 01/14/2022. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas, Austin, TX.
    https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOHU2
    Wiggins 1964, Kearney and Peebles 1969; Editors: S.Buckley 2010, F.S.Coburn 2015; from SEINet Field Guide, on-line; accessed 02/01/2022.
    https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=239496&clid=4013
    1993, The Jepson Manual, Citation: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/I_treat_indexes.html (accessed 02/01/2022)
    https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,3958,3990
    Seiler, John, Peterson, John, North American species range map courtesy of Virginia Tech, Dept. of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation
    http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/
    SEINet synonyms, scientific names, geographic locations, general information.
    http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/
    Etymology: Michael L. Charters California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations; A Dictionary of Botanical and Biographical Etymology - (accessed on-line; 01/31/2022)
    http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageLH-LY.html
    http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pageHI-HY.html
    IPNI (2020). International Plant Names Index. Published on the Internet http://www.ipni.org, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. [Retrieved on-line; 30 January 2022].
    https://www.ipni.org/?q=lotus