Taxon Report

Acmispon argophyllus (A. Gray) Brouillet var. adsurgens (Dunkle) Brouillet

San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Acmispon argophyllus var. adsurgens, commonly known as San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 15 to 395 meters. Acmispon argophyllus var. adsurgens is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Acmispon argophyllus (A. Gray) Brouillet var. adsurgens (Dunkle) Brouillet
Common Name:	San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2A041
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Lotus argophyllus var. adsurgens

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	15-395 (50-1295)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	CE
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_CRES
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	20

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
San Clemente Island Central (3211874), San Clemente Island North (3211885), San Clemente Island South (3211873)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Feral herbivores removed from SCM Isl., and vegetation recovering. See Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 39:175 (1940) for original description.
Threats:
Threatened by Navy activities.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 19 November 2025].