North America Non-native Plant

Lotus Collinus

Botanical name: Lotus collinus

USDA symbol: LOCO11

Native status: Not native but doesn't reproduce and persist in the wild

Lotus collinus: The Mystery Plant That’s Hard to Pin Down If you’ve stumbled across the name Lotus collinus in your gardening research, you’re probably scratching your head right about now. Don’t worry – you’re not alone! This particular plant species seems to be playing hide and seek with even the ...

Lotus collinus: The Mystery Plant That’s Hard to Pin Down

If you’ve stumbled across the name Lotus collinus in your gardening research, you’re probably scratching your head right about now. Don’t worry – you’re not alone! This particular plant species seems to be playing hide and seek with even the most dedicated plant enthusiasts.

What We Know (And Don’t Know) About This Elusive Species

Here’s the thing about Lotus collinus – it’s one of those botanical mysteries that keeps gardeners guessing. While the name suggests it belongs to the Lotus genus, reliable information about this specific species is surprisingly scarce. This could mean several things: it might be an extremely rare plant, an outdated botanical name that’s been reclassified, or simply a species that hasn’t been well-documented in popular gardening literature.

The Challenge of Growing What You Can’t Find

Unfortunately, without clear information about Lotus collinus, it’s nearly impossible to provide specific growing advice. We don’t have reliable data about:

  • Its native range or geographical distribution
  • Preferred growing conditions
  • USDA hardiness zones
  • Mature size or growth habits
  • Care requirements
  • Wildlife or pollinator benefits

What Should Gardeners Do?

If you’re specifically looking for Lotus collinus, here’s our honest advice: you might want to reconsider your plant choice, at least for now. The lack of available information makes it difficult to grow successfully, and you might have trouble even finding seeds or plants for sale.

Instead, consider these alternatives:

  • Research other well-documented Lotus species that are readily available
  • Contact botanical gardens or native plant societies in your area for guidance
  • Look into similar-looking native plants that would thrive in your specific region

The Bottom Line

Sometimes in gardening, the most honest answer is we just don’t know enough yet. Lotus collinus falls into this category. While it’s frustrating when you have your heart set on a particular plant, choosing species with well-documented growing requirements will set you up for much better success in your garden.

If you do happen to have more information about Lotus collinus or have experience growing it, we’d love to hear from you! Gardening is all about sharing knowledge and helping each other grow better plants.

Lotus Collinus

Classification

Group

Dicot

Kingdom

Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision

Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division

Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Subdivision
Class

Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass

Rosidae

Order

Fabales

Family

Fabaceae Lindl. - Pea family

Genus

Lotus L. - trefoil

Species

Lotus collinus (Boiss.) Heldr.

Plant data source: USDA, NRCS 2025. The PLANTS Database. https://plants.usda.gov,. 2/25/2025. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA