Overview
The San Clemente Island lotus is a subshrub in the legume or pea family (Fabaceae). It was initially listed as endangered in 1977 as threats to the species included non-native herbivores, land use, erosion, non-native plants, fire and fire management and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change . Due to the removal of non-native herbivores and the Navy’s development of an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan to implement erosion and fire control measures, the species recovered to the point where it was delisted in 2023.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
It is self-compatible.
It flowers between February and August, peaking from March to May, with halictid bees, bumblebees and small beetles observed foraging on the flowers.
Physical Characteristics
It is typically less than four feet tall with slender green branches. Each leaf has three to five leaflets, with fine or no hair.
It has small yellow flowers arranged in one to five flowered clusters. As they age, the flowers change from yellow to orange to red.
Habitat
It grows around rock outcrops and among large boulders situated in grassland areas and along the interface between grassland and maritime sage scrub. It occurs on well-drained soils where adequate soil moisture is available and mostly on clay to rocky soils.
Geography
It is endemic to San Clemente Island, Los Angeles County, California. It establishes on north- and east-facing slopes and ridges at elevations ranging from 25 to 1,400 feet, as well as in canyon bottoms or along ridgelines.