Flora of North America species comparison

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Ononis

restharrow
Habit Herbs, annual [perennial], or shrubs, armed or unarmed.
Stems

ascending, erect, procumbent, or decumbent, ± pubescent throughout [rarely glabrescent], hairs simple, glandular.
Leaves

alternate, odd-pinnate;

stipules present, often leafy, adnate to petiole much of their lengths [rarely stipules fused];

petiolate;

leaflets 1 or 3[or 5], blade margins usually serrulate, at least distally, rarely entire, surfaces pubescent;

terminal blade larger than laterals.
Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, terminal, leafy, racemes [spikes or panicles];

bracts present.
Flowers

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate or tubular, lobes 5, ± subequal;

corolla usually pink or purple, sometimes white [variegated or yellow];

stamens 10, monadelphous (at least basally);

anthers dimorphic, alternately basifixed and dorsifixed.
Fruits

legumes, tan to light brown, subsessile or stipitate, turgid, straight, ovoid or oblong-rhomboid [linear], usually not exceeding calyx, dehiscent, pubescent.
Seeds

1–4[+], spherical or ovoid [reniform, suborbicular], smooth or tuberculate.
x

= 8.

Ononis
Distribution
from USDA
Europe; Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands, Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 80 (2 in the flora).

Ononis has been considered to be marginally related to Medicago, Melilotus, Trifolium, and Trigonella, which have been interpreted as constituting tribe Trifolieae, sometimes with the addition of Parochetus Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don (C. C. Heyn 1981). Ononis is often considered to constitute its own tribe, Ononideae Hutchinson. Molecular (plastid nucleic acid) phylogenetic analyses (M. F. Wojciechowski et al. 2000; K. P. Steele and Wojciechowski 2003; Wojciechowski 2003) have confirmed the close relationship of Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella, and also the rather distant relationship of Parochetus from the other genera. These analyses also indicate that Ononis is much closer to this group than hitherto appreciated, and that Trifolium is more closely related to genera of tribe Vicieae. This interpretation of generic relationships suggests that a redefinition of tribal composition is required, and that nomenclaturally the tribal name Trifolieae may need to be abandoned. Before such actions are taken, it is advisable to await additional studies of generic relationships.

Ononis is of limited economic significance, although some species are grown as ornamentals, some are weeds, and some are employed for medicinal purposes. Species of Ononis are sparsely introduced and rarely collected in the flora area.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Shrubs (woody basally); stems with or without thorns; seeds tuberculate.
O. spinosa
1. Herbs; stems without thorns; seeds smooth.
O. alopecuroides
Source FNA vol. 11. Author: Ernest Small.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae
Subordinate taxa
O. alopecuroides, O. spinosa
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 716. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 321. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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