''Ottleya'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 (legumes). It is native to the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah) and 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

''Ottleya'' 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 widely ...

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

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: *'' Ottleya flexuosa'' (Greene) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya intricata'' (Eastw.) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya mollis'' (A.Heller) D.D.Sokoloff & Gandhi *'' Ottleya nivea'' (S.Watson) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya oroboides'' (Kunth) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya plebeia'' (Brandegee) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya rigida'' (Benth.) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya strigosa'' (Nutt.) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya utahensis'' (Ottley) D.D.Sokoloff *'' Ottleya wrightii'' (A.Gray) D.D.Sokoloff

References

Loteae Flora of Arizona Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Nevada Flora of New Mexico Flora of Texas Flora of Utah Flora of Mexico Fabaceae genera {{Loteae-stub