''Acmispon dendroideus'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Syrmatium veatchii'', is a species of

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

native to California. It is known by the common name island broom. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on coastal bluffs and cliffs. It is a spreading perennial herb or erect

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

approaching 2 meters in height. It is hairless to hairy and gray-green in color. The branches lined with leaves each made up of a few oval leaflike leaflets up to 1.5 centimeters long each. The inflorescence bears up to 10 yellow pealike flowers, each roughly a centimeter long and fading red as they age.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Edward Lee Greene in 1886, as ''Syrmatium dendroideum''.

Varieties

A number of varieties have been recognized: *''Acmispon dendroideus'' var. ''dendroideus'' *''Acmispon dendroideus'' var. ''traskiae'' (Eastw. ex Abrams) Brouillet :Synonyms: :*''Lotus dendroideus'' var. ''traskiae'' (Eastw. ex Abrams) Isely :*''Lotus scoparius'' subsp. ''traskiae'' (Eastw. ex Abrams) P.H.Raven :*''Lotus scoparius'' var. ''traskiae'' (Eastw. ex Abrams) Ottley :*''Syrmatium traskiae'' Eastw. ex Abrams *''Acmispon dendroideus'' var. ''veatchii'' (Greene) Brouillet :Synonyms: :*''Hosackia veatchii'' Greene :*''Lotus dendroideus'' Greene :*''Lotus dendroideus'' var. ''veatchii'' (Greene) Isely :*''Lotus scoparius'' var. ''dendroideus'' Ottley :*''Lotus scoparius'' var. ''veatchii'' Ottley :*''Lotus veatchii'' (Greene) Greene :*''Syrmatium veatchii'' (Greene) Greene The rarest, var. ''traskiae'', the San Clemente Island broom or San Clemente Island lotus, is limited to

San Clemente Island San Clemente Island (Tongva: ''Kinkipar''; Spanish: ''Isla de San Clemente'') is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. It is administered b ...

. It is treated federally as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

.California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref> In the 1990s the Navy removed goats from San Clemente Island and started a management program to benefit this species. Due to the management efforts for this species, it has increased from just 9 occurrences at the time of listing to over 150 populations consisting of over 10,000 individuals. In 2007 the US Fish & Wildlife Service recommended it be downlisted from endangered to threatened status.USFWS
''L. d.'' var. ''traskiae'' Five-year Review.
September 2007.

References

External links

Photo gallery
dendroideus Endemic flora of California {{Loteae-stub