Herbs 70–150 cm, villous or sparsely strigulose to glabrate; root-spreading. Stems (1–)5–20+, ascending to erect, fleshy, stout, hollow. Leaves: stipules triangular or ovate to lan­ceolate, (2–)5–8 mm, membra­nous becoming scarious, often becoming inconspicuous; short-petiolate to petiolate; rachis often curved, 6–12 cm; leaflets (7–)9–15(–19), petiolulate, blades widely ovate to widely elliptic or widely obovate, (10–)20–30 mm, apex obtuse to emarginate, surfaces sparsely strigillose to glabrate. Peduncles ascending, 3–8 cm, usually shorter than, rarely equaling, subtending leaf, elongating in fruit, glabrate or glabrous; bract medial or absent, leaflets (1 or)3 or 5-foliolate. Umbels 8–20-flowered. Flowers asymmetric, 12–16(–18) mm; calyx green marked with purplish or pinkish, or purplish to pinkish, 4.5–8 mm, glabrous, tube cylindric, 4–6 mm, lobes deltate, 0.5–2 mm, sparsely ciliolate or eciliate; corolla greenish or whitish becoming marked with red or purple, wings ± equaling keel, claw ± longer than calyx tube, banner implicate-ascending to 45°, keel apex acute. Legumes ± ascending to inclined, reddish to brown, linear, turgid, (10–)35–70 × 3–5 mm, leathery, incompletely septate, glabrous. Seeds 7–12, olive or reddish to dark brown, obovoid, 3–4 mm. 2n = 14.

Distribution

w United States, nw Mexico.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Lotus crassifolius (Bentham) Greene [not Persoon] is an illegitimate name that pertains to Hosackia crassifolia.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Hosackia crassifolia var. crassifolia, Hosackia crassifolia var. otayensis

Key

1	Herbs glabrate or sparsely strigulose; ovules.	Hosackia crassifolia var. crassifolia
1	Herbs villous; ovules 14–21.	Hosackia crassifolia var. otayensis