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Deer Plant
Acmispon glaber
  
About Deer Plant (Acmispon glaber) 34 Nurseries Carry This Plant Deer Plant (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. Fortunately it is widely available, and would be a great addition to any garden. It has excellent habitat value, and 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
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
1.6 - 3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Semi-Deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
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

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

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

Common uses
Common uses
Bee Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

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

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

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

Climate
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


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


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