Taxon Report

Acmispon dendroideus (Greene) Brouillet var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Brouillet

San Clemente Island lotus

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae, commonly known as San Clemente Island lotus, is a perennial shrub in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 15 to 365 meters. Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Acmispon dendroideus (Greene) Brouillet var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Brouillet
Common Name:	San Clemente Island lotus
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2A1G2
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Lotus scoparius ssp. traskiae Lotus dendroideus var. traskiae

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial shrub
Blooming Period: Feb-Aug	Feb-Aug
Elevation:	15-365 (50-1200)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G4T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	CE
Fed List:	FD
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.1 to 1B.3 on 2015-01-28

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	40
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	40

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:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	3 %
Development	1	2%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	2%

Notes



Federally listed as Endangered on 1977-09-12, then listed as Threatened on 2013-08-26; Delisted due to Recovery on 2023-02-24. Feral herbivores removed from SCM Isl., and vegetation recovering. Occasionally hybridizes with A. argophyllus var. argenteus.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity (ed. 3) 201. (1917)

Brittonia 30:466-472 (1978)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 November 2025].