Stats

Lifespan

5-7 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Chaparral shrubland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

A drought-tolerant perennial subshrub native to coastal California and Baja California, deerweed produces clusters of yellow pea-like flowers that turn orange-red after pollination — a rare visual signal to pollinators that a bloom has already been visited.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Fabales

Family

Fabaceae

Genus

Acmispon

Species

Acmispon glaber