Hosackia pinnata
Ill. Fl. Pacific States 2: 541. 1944.
Herbs usually robust, 15–50 cm, glabrous; rhizomatous, rhizomes spongy-thickened, whitish, rooting at nodes. Stems 1–5, usually ascending, sometimes decumbent, unbranched or branched, ± fleshy or not. Leaves: stipules ovate, 2–5 mm, scarious; petiolate; rachis straight, 2–7 cm; leaflets 5–9(–11), petiolulate, blades usually elliptic to obovate, rarely oblanceolate, (7–)10–25 mm, apex emarginate or rounded to obtuse or acute, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles ascending, (1–)5–10 cm, longer than subtending leaf, elongating in fruit, glabrous; bract subtending umbel or absent, 1(–3)-foliolate. Umbels 4–10-flowered. Flowers 10–15 mm; calyx reddish, 5.5–7.5 mm, glabrous, tube obconic-cylindric, 4–5 mm, lobes abaxial 3 subulate to lanceolate, adaxial 2 triangular, 1–2 mm, usually eciliate, sometimes sparsely ciliate; corolla banner and keel yellow, wings white or cream, wings longer than keel, claw longer than calyx tube, banner reflexed to 180°, keel apex subacute. Legumes ± ascending to ± inclined, ± reddish to dark brown, linear-oblong, turgid, 30–50(–85) × 1.5–2.5 mm, thinly leathery, incompletely septate, glabrous. Seeds 8–20, olive to reddish or dark brown, oblong, 1.5 mm. 2n = 14.
Phenology: Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat: Wet to moist, open areas, springy meadows, bogs, wetlands, springs, streambeds, stream banks, seepages, in water, ditches.
Elevation: 30–2500 m.
Distribution
B.C., Calif., Idaho, Oreg., Wash.
Discussion
Hosackia pinnata reaches its northern limit near Nanaimo, southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia (M. Donovan 2006). It ranges southward along the inner foothills of the coastal ranges (avoiding areas of high precipitation) and in the Cascade Range, to the Coast Ranges of California (to Santa Barbara County) and along the Sierra Nevada. Hosackia pinnata is sometimes disjunct inland to eastern Washington and northwestern Idaho and, rarely, in central Oregon.
Hosackia bicolor Douglas ex Bentham and Lotus bicolor Frye & Rigg are both superfluous, illegitimate names that pertain to H. pinnata.
Selected References
None.