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Key to families | Table of families and genera

This text currently parallels The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition that is now available at the University of California Press.

Text appearing in blue on this page will not appear in the printed book; it will be displayed only on the Web. Specimen numbers are hyperlinked to records in the Consortium of California Herbaria data view where possible. Taxa are hyperlinked to entries in the Jepson Interchange via the "[Online Interchange]" link.

 

LOTUS

Luc Brouillet


Annual, perennial herb, unarmed.
Leaf: generally odd-1- pinnate; stipules gland-like, reduced to bumps, or inconspicuous; leaflets 3–9, lower 2 in stipular position or not, others ± palmately arranged.
Inflorescence: umbel or 1–3-flowered, axillary, peduncled, bract 1–3-parted.
Flower: corolla generally yellow, in age darkening; 9 filaments fused, 1 free.
Fruit: dehiscent, exserted from calyx, linear to narrowly oblong, ± beaked.
Seed: few to several.
± 125 species: Eur, Africa, to e Asia, Australia, New Caledonia; cultivated as forage, ground cover, ornamental. (Greek: derivation unclear) [Brouillet 2008 J Bot Res Inst Texas 2:387–394] Other taxa in TJM (1993) moved to Acmispon and Hosackia.
Unabridged references: [Isely 1981 Mem New York Bot Gard 25:128–206]

Key to Lotus

1. Annual, hairy; inflorescence 1–3-flowered; corolla 5–8(12) ..... L. angustissimus

1' Perennial, glabrous or hairy; inflorescence generally 3–12-flowered; corolla (6)7–14(18) mm

2. Infl (5)8–12(15)-flowered; calyx lobes often outcurved in bud; rhizome present; stem generally hollow, hairs often spreading ..... L. uliginosus

2' Infl 1–7(10)-flowered; calyx lobes not outcurved in bud; rhizome 0; stem generally solid, glabrous or strigose

3. Lflet length of longest upper leaves 1.6–3(4) × width; corolla 10–14(16) mm ..... L. corniculatus

3' Lflet length of longest upper leaves (2.5)3.2–5 × width; corolla (6)7–10(12) mm ..... L. tenuis

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Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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