Taxon Report

Hosackia gracilis Benth.

harlequin lotus

Print Report

© 2015 John Doyen

Classification


Scientific Name:	Hosackia gracilis Benth.
Common Name:	harlequin lotus
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2A0D0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Lotus formosissimus

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jul	Mar-Jul
Elevation:	0-700 (0-2295)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, Marshes and swamps, Meadows and seeps, North Coast coniferous forest, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Roadsides
Microhabitat Details:	wetlands

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3G4
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Marin (MRN), Mendocino (MEN), Monterey (MNT), San Francisco (SFO), San Luis Obispo (SLO), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Clara (SCL), Santa Cruz (SCR), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Albion (3912327), Annapolis (3812363), Ano Nuevo (3712213), Arcata South (4012471), Arched Rock (3812342), Bear Harbor (3912388), Big Basin (3712222), Bodega Head (3812331), Bolinas (3712286), Cahto Peak (3912365), Cambria (3512151), Camp Meeker (3812248), Cannibal Island (4012463), Cape Mendocino (4012444), Cape San Martin (3512184), Capetown (4012443), Cold Spring (3912315), Cotati (3812236), Crescent City (4112472), Davenport (3712212), Drakes Bay (3812218), Duncans Mills (3812341), Elk (3912326), Eureka (4012472), Felton (3712211), Fields Landing (4012462), Fort Bragg (3912347), Fort Ross (3812352), Fortuna (4012452), Franklin Point (3712223), Gualala (3812375), Half Moon Bay (3712244), Healdsburg (3812257), Hydesville (4012451), Inglenook (3912357), Inverness (3812217), Kenwood (3812245), Korbel (4012378), La Honda (3712233), Loma Prieta (3712117), Longvale (3912354), Lopez Point (3612115), Mallo Pass Creek (3912316), Maple Creek (4012377), McGuire Ridge (3812374), Mendocino (3912337), Montara Mountain (3712254), Monterey (3612158), Mt. Madonna (3712116), Noyo Hill (3912346), Orick (4112431), Petaluma (3812226), Piedras Blancas (3512163), Pigeon Point (3712224), Plantation (3812353), Point Arena (3812386), Point Reyes NE (3812227), Prunedale (3612176), Requa (4112451), San Francisco North (3712274), San Francisco South (3712264), San Gregorio (3712234), San Mateo (3712253), San Rafael (3712285), San Simeon (3512162), Santa Cruz (3612281), Saunders Reef (3812376), Sebastopol (3812247), Shelter Cove (4012411), Sister Rocks (4112462), Soberanes Point (3612148), Stewarts Point (3812364), Taylor Peak (4012442), Tomales (3812228), Trinidad (4112412), Two Rock (3812237), Valley Ford (3812238), Watsonville East (3612186), Westport (3912367), Woodside (3712243)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Designated as Endangered in Canada. Thought to be a larval food plant of the Federally Endangered lotis blue butterfly (Lycaeides argyrognomon ssp. lotis).
Threats:
Threatened by development, grazing, feral pigs, habitat alteration, and competition.
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 3 January 2025].