logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Hosackia gracilis  Benth.
Harlequin lotus
Hosackia gracilis is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Lotus formosissimus
California Rare Plant Rank: 4.2 (limited distribution).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
(454 records)
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
bloom graphic
Bloom Period
Genus: Hosackia
Family: Fabaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Communities: Northern Coastal Scrub, Closed-cone Pine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS
Alternate Names:
JEF + CNPSLotus formosissimus
PLANTSLotus formosissimus
Information about  Hosackia gracilis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (LOFO2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria. [web application]. 2023. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 02/06/2023).