Lotus corniculatus |
Lotus angustissimus |
|
---|---|---|
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 |
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]
|
CA; Europe; n Africa; introduced also in South America; w Asia; Australia [Introduced in North America] |
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 | ||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 775. (1753) — (as corniculata) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 774. (1753) |
Web links |
|