Deerweed, Acmispon glaber

About Deerweed (Acmispon glaber) 33 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Deerweed (Acmispon glaber) is a perennial subshrub in the Fabaceae (Legume family). The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico. It is grows in many habitats, including chaparral, coastal sand, roadsides and other disturbed areas at elevations below 4900 feet.

The stems are green, erect, somewhat branched, with small, deciduous leaves. When this plant blooms, from about March to August, it displays small yellow flowers bunched together in a flower cluster. The flowers become reddish with age. The fruit consists of a curved pod with two seeds.

There are two recognized varieties with overlapping ranges. Although widely available, it is not often used in gardens, because it is not particularly showy. It has excellent habitat value, however, because it is nitrogen-fixing; it is often used in restoration projects. Sometimes the wrong variety is planted in an area. Intermediates between the varieties have been observed as a result of such plantings.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

1.6 - 3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form

Fountain

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Summer Semi-Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

An important pollinator plant, it is host plant to Bramble Hairstreak, Afranius Duskywing, Persius Duskywing, and Acmon Blue butterflies. It is a nectar plant for other butterflies, including the Chalcedon Checkerwing
Bee gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 15 confirmed

, 15 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Acmon Blue Icaricia acmonIcaricia acmon

Orange Sulphur Colias eurythemeColias eurytheme

Silvery Blue Glaucopsyche lygdamusGlaucopsyche lygdamus

Marine Blue Leptotes marinaLeptotes marina

Queen Alexandra's Sulphur Colias alexandraColias alexandra

Bramble Hairstreak Callophrys dumetorumCallophrys dumetorum

Avalon Hairstreak Strymon avalonaStrymon avalona

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 33

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a wide variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.2 - 8.2

Common uses

Bee Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Deerweed has no particular companion plants in the wild, but it can be used with virtually any other natives.

Maintenance

Can be cut back in late summer or early fall to stimulate new growth

Natural Setting

Site Type

Most often seen in burned or disturbed areas along the coast and inland foothills, valleys and mountains

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.6" - 69.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.77", Coldest Month: 34.4" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 57.9" - 88.0", Humidity: 0.38" - 38.93", Elevation: -18" - 7469"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Lotus scoparius
Common Names: Common Deerweed

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Deerweed

Acmispon glaber

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DeerweedAcmispon glaber

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Deerweed

Acmispon glaber