Silver bird's-foot trefoil
Acmispon argophyllus
Last reviewed: August 2026
Light
full sun
Water
low
Size
6"–18" H × 12"–24" W
Bloom
Mar, Apr, May, Jun
Native to
CA
Pollinators
bees
Before you buy
Your city may pay you to plant this
Cities and water utilities offer rebates for replacing lawn with native and water-wise plants. We track 431 programs across 44 states, each with a link to the provider and the date we last checked it.
Find rebates in your areaA low, sprawling subshrub with silvery, silky-haired leaves and small yellow pea flowers that fade to orange with age. Forms a soft silver mat on coastal bluffs and dunes.
Wildlife value
Host plant for silvery blue.
As a legume it fixes nitrogen in poor coastal soils, and the foliage is a larval host for silvery blue butterflies.
Common questions
- How much sun does Silver bird's-foot trefoil need?
- Silver bird's-foot trefoil grows best in full sun conditions.
- When does Silver bird's-foot trefoil bloom?
- Silver bird's-foot trefoil blooms in March, April, May, and June.
- Where is Silver bird's-foot trefoil native?
- Silver bird's-foot trefoil (Acmispon argophyllus) is native to CA, per vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
- What butterflies or moths does Silver bird's-foot trefoil host?
- Silver bird's-foot trefoil is a larval host plant for silvery blue.
Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.
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