Hosackia oblongifolia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hosackia oblongifolia
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Hosackia cuprea Smiley Hosackia lathyroides Durand & Hilg. Hosackia oblongifolia var. cuprea (Greene) Brouillet Hosackia torreyi A.Gray Hosackia torreyi var. nevadensis A.Gray Lotus cupreus Greene Lotus lathyroides Greene Lotus oblongifolius Greene Lotus oblongifolius var. cupreus Ottley Lotus oblongifolius var. nevadensis (A.Gray) Munz Lotus oblongifolius var. torreyi Ottley Lotus torreyi Greene Lotus torreyi var. seorsus J.F.Macbr.

Hosackia oblongifolia, synonym Lotus oblongifolius, is a species of legume native to western North America from Oregon to northern Mexico. It is known by the common name streambank bird's-foot trefoil or meadow lotus. It grows in moist to wet areas in several types of habitat. It is a spreading or upright perennial herb lined with leaves each made up of 3 elongated oval leaflets each up to 2.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears several yellow and white flowers between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The fruit is very elongated, reaching up to 5 centimeters in length but just a few millimeters in width.

Plants with copper colored flowers have been separated by some sources as var. cupreus, the copper-flowered bird's-foot trefoil. They are found in the Sierra Nevada slopes of Tulare County, California.