''Hosackia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

(legumes). It is native to western North America, from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in Canada to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Taxonomy

''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe

Loteae The tribe Loteae is a subdivision of the plant family Fabaceae, in the Robinioids. These genera are recognized by the USDA: * ''Acmispon'' Raf. 1832 * ''Anthyllis'' L. 1753 * '' Antopetitia'' A.Rich. 1840 * ''Coronilla'' L. 1753 * '' Cyti ...

of the subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is wide ...

. The taxonomy of this group is complex, and its division into genera has varied considerably. Many species of ''Hosackia'' were formerly placed in a broadly defined genus '' Lotus''. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study in 2000 based on nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences confirmed the view that the "New World" (American) and "Old World" (African and Eurasian) species of ''Lotus'' did not belong in the same genus. When narrowly

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

, ''Hosackia'' was

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

. New World species at one time placed in ''Hosackia'' have been transferred to ''

Acmispon ''Acmispon'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to North America and the west coast of Chile in South America. It includes several species of American bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches formerly contained in ...

'', ''

Ottleya ''Ottleya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah) and to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Ottleya'' belongs to a gro ...

'' and ''

Syrmatium ''Syrmatium'' was a formerly accepted genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to the southwestern United States. , it was considered a synonym of ''Acmispon'' by Plants of the World Online, and only ''Acmispon'' was r ...

''.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

accepted the following species: *'' Hosackia alamosana'' Rose *''

Hosackia chihuahuana ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'' S.Watson *''

Hosackia crassifolia ''Hosackia crassifolia'', synonym ''Lotus crassifolius'', is a species of legume native to Washington, California and Oregon. It is known by the common names big deervetch and broad-leafed lotus. Distribution The plant is native to western North ...

'' Benth. *''

Hosackia endlichii ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'' Harms *''

Hosackia gracilis ''Hosackia gracilis'', synonym ''Lotus formosissimus'', is a species of legume native to western North America from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to California. It was first described by George Bentham. It is known by the common ...

'' Benth. *''

Hosackia hintoniorum ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'' (B.L.Turner) D.D.Sokoloff *''

Hosackia incana ''Hosackia incana'', synonym ''Lotus incanus'', is a species of legume native to California. It is known by the common name woolly bird's-foot trefoil. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, where it grows in forests and other mountai ...

'' Torr. *''

Hosackia oaxacana ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'' Greenm. *''

Hosackia oblongifolia ''Hosackia oblongifolia'', synonym ''Lotus oblongifolius'', is a species of legume native to western North America from Oregon to northern Mexico. It is known by the common name streambank bird's-foot trefoil or meadow lotus. It grows in moist t ...

'' Benth. *''

Hosackia pinnata ''Hosackia pinnata'', synonym ''Lotus pinnatus'', is a species of legume native to western North America from British Columbia to California. It is known by the common names meadow bird's-foot trefoil and bog bird's-foot trefoil. Its distributio ...

'' (Hook.) Abrams *''

Hosackia repens ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'' G.Don *''

Hosackia rosea ''Hosackia rosea'', synonym ''Lotus aboriginus'', is a species of legume native to North America. It is known by the common names rosy bird's-foot trefoil and thicket trefoil. It grows in mountains and canyons, often in moist areas. It is a pere ...

'' Eastw. *'' Hosackia stipularis'' Benth. *''

Hosackia yollabolliensis ''Hosackia yollabolliensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to California. It was first described, as ''Lotus yollabolliensis'', by Philip A. Munz in 1955. It was transferred to ''Hosackia ''Hosackia'' is a gen ...

'' (Munz) D.D.Sokoloff

References

Flora of North America Fabaceae genera {{Loteae-stub