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bird's-foot trefoil, birdfoot trefoil, common bird's-foot trefoil, garden bird's-foot-trefoil

slender bird's-foot trefoil, slender lotus, slender trefoil

Habit Herbs annual or perennial, 5–70 cm, glabrous or sparsely pilose to strigose; usually taprooted, rarely rhizomatous. Herbs annual, (2–)5–50 cm, hirsute; taprooted.
Stems

ascending or prostrate, solid, not succulent.

prostrate, solid, not succulent.

Leaves

5–30 mm;

rachis (1–)2–10 mm;

leaflet blades sometimes asymmetric, obovate to oblanceolate, oblong, or ovate, 4–22 × 2–11 mm, length 1.6–3(–4) times width, apex obtuse and mucronate or acuminate.

7–21 mm;

rachis 2–3.5(–4.5) mm;

leaflet blades elliptic to narrowly obovate, 8–12(–16) × 2–6 mm, length 1.7–4 times width, apex usually acute, sometimes obtuse.

Inflorescences

(1–)3–8(–10)-flowered;

bracts (1–)3-foliolate.

1–3-flowered;

bracts 1–3-foliolate.

Peduncles

decumbent to erect, 1.5–12 cm.

decumbent to ascending, 0.5–2 cm.

Flowers

10–17 mm;

calyx 5–7.5 mm, lobes not recurved in bud, usually triangular, rarely ovate, (1.5–)2.5–4.5 mm, shorter to slightly longer than tube, tube villous;

petals bright yellow, marked with red, turning orange, 8–14 mm, wings shorter to longer than keel.

5–12 mm;

calyx 4–7 mm, lobes not recurved in bud, narrowly lanceolate, 4 mm, longer than tube, tube villous;

petals yellow, turning pink, (4–)5–8 mm, wings shorter than keel.

Legumes

brown, narrowly oblong, 15–35 × 2–3 mm, not septate.

reddish brown, linear, 12–30 × 1–2 mm, septate.

Seeds

5–30, yellowish or light to dark brown, mottled or sometimes not, globose to round-oblong, 1–1.7 mm, smooth.

18–30, light olive to light brown, not mottled, globose, 0.6 mm, smooth.

2n

= 24.

= 12, 24 (Europe).

Lotus corniculatus

Lotus angustissimus

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open, often wet disturbed, ruderal sites, lawns, fields, roadsides. Disturbed grasslands, roadsides.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced also in Mexico, Central America, South America, Atlantic Islands (Iceland), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Europe; n Africa; intro­duced also in South America; w Asia; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lotus corniculatus has been widely introduced both as a forage crop and for roadside stabilization throughout North America. M. D. Ross and W. T. Jones (1985) presented evidence that L. corniculatus is an allotetraploid derived from the hybrid between either L. tenuis or L. alpinus (Seringe) Schleicher ex Ramond, as the pistillate parent, and L. uliginosus. This would explain the close morphological similarity with L. tenuis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lotus Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lotus
Sibling taxa
L. angustissimus, L. krylovii, L. subbiflorus, L. tenuis, L. uliginosus
L. corniculatus, L. krylovii, L. subbiflorus, L. tenuis, L. uliginosus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 775. (1753) — (as corniculata) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 774. (1753)
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