Flora of North America species comparison

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Trigonella procumbens

trailing fenugreek
Habit Herbs 20–50(–80) cm, sparsely pubescent.
Stems

decumbent, ascending, or suberect, usually branched from base.
Leaves

stipules lanceolate, margins dentate;

leaflet blades oblong to linear-oblong or -lanceolate, 10–30(–40) × 3–10(–20) mm, margins denticulate.
Inflorescences

20–30-flowered, globose or subglobose to ovoid racemes, densely flowered but elongated to ± lax in fruit.
Peduncles

2–6 cm.
Flowers

5.5–7 mm;

calyx ca. 1/2 as long as corolla, lobes nearly equal to tube;

corolla pale blue or lilac-blue.
Legumes

erect-spreading, ovoid, flattened, seed-bearing part 4.5–6 × 2–3 mm, tapering into subulate beak 2–3 mm.
Seeds

1–3, brownish, oblong, 2.5 × 1 mm.
2n

= 16.

Trigonella procumbens
Phenology Flowering early–late summer.
Habitat Waste ground, ballast.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
PA; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trigonella caerulea (see discussion under that species) is thought to be a domesticated phase of T. procumbens. Although the two are generally recognized as different species, they could be combined into one species [as indicated by the combination T. caerulea subsp. procumbens (Besser) Thellung].

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trigonella
Sibling taxa
T. caerulea, T. corniculata, T. foenum-graecum
Synonyms Melilotus procumbens
Name authority (Besser) Reichenbach: Iconogr. Bot. Pl. Crit. 4: 35. (1826)
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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