Lotus corniculatus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Lotus |
Species: | L. corniculatus |
Binomial name | |
Lotus corniculatus | |
Subspecies [1] | |
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Synonyms [1] | |
List
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Lotus corniculatus is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, [2] eggs and bacon, [3] birdsfoot deervetch, [4] and just bird's-foot trefoil, [5] though the latter name is often also applied to other members of the genus.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant, similar in appearance to some clovers. The name 'bird's foot' refers to the appearance of the seed pods on their stalk. Five leaflets are present, but with the central three held conspicuously above the others, hence the use of the name 'trefoil'. It is often used as forage and is widely used as food for livestock due to its nonbloating properties.
The height of the plant is variable, from 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 inches), occasionally more where supported by other plants; the stems can reach up to 50 cm (20 in) long. It is typically sprawling at the height of the surrounding grassland. It can survive fairly close grazing, trampling, and mowing. It is most often found in sandy soils. It flowers from June to September. The flowers develop into small pea-like pods or legumes.
The plant had many common English names in Britain, which are now mostly out of use. These names were often connected with the yellow and orange colour of the flowers, e.g. 'butter and eggs'. One name that is still used is eggs and bacon (or bacon and eggs). [6]
The following subspecies are accepted: [1]
Lotus corniculatus has a broad distribution worldwide. [5] [1] It is common everywhere in Britain [7] and Ireland. [8] [9] Habitats include old fields, grassy places, [10] and roadsides. [9]
It is used in agriculture as a forage plant, grown for pasture, hay, and silage. It is a high quality forage that does not cause bloat in ruminants. [11] Taller-growing cultivars have been developed for this.[ citation needed ] It may be used as an alternative to alfalfa in poor soils.
A double-flowered variety is grown as an ornamental plant. It is regularly included as a component of wildflower mixes in Europe. It can also prevent soil erosion and provide a good habitat for wildlife. [11]
Fresh bird's-foot trefoil contains cyanogenic glycosides, [12] which release small amounts of hydrogen cyanide when macerated. This is not normally poisonous to humans, though, as the dose is very low, and the metabolization of cyanide is relatively quick. [13] Condensed tannins are also present in L. corniculatus. [14]
In the traditional medicine of the Sannio regio of Italy, the diluted infusions were used for anxiety, insomnia, and exhaustion. [15]
The flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees. [16] In the Chicago Region, mostly non-native bees have been observed visiting the flowers, including Andrena wilkella , Anthidium oblongatum , Apis mellifera and Megachile rotundata . [17] The native bees Bombus impatiens and Megachile relativa have also been observed visiting birdsfoot trefoil flowers, though the latter only rarely. [17]
The plant is an important nectar source for many insects and is also used as a larval food plant by many species of Lepidoptera such as six-spot burnet and the silver-studded blue. [18] It is a host plant for the wood white butterfly, Leptidea sinapis . [19]
Birdsfoot trefoil is an invasive species in many parts of North America and Australia. It has been commonly planted along roadsides for erosion control or pastures for forage and then spreads into natural areas. [4] [17] Once it has established in an area, it can outcompete native species. [17] The use of prescribed fire is not an effective management tool against Lotus corniculatus and herbicide is recommended instead to control it. [17]
Lotus, a latinization of Greek lōtos, is a genus of flowering plants that includes most bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches and contains many dozens of species distributed in the eastern hemisphere, including Africa, Europe, western, southern, and eastern Asia, and Australia and New Guinea. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. Lotus is a genus of legumes and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from coastal environments to high elevations.
Lotus tenuis is a flowering plant of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western and southern Europe and southwest Asia. Some botanists treat it as a subspecies of Lotus corniculatus, as L. corniculatus subsp. tenuifolius.
Lotus pedunculatus, the big trefoil, greater bird's-foot-trefoil or marsh bird's-foot trefoil, is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae).
Acmispon glaber is a perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae. The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico. It is commonly found in many areas including chaparral, coastal sand and roadsides at elevations below 1500 m.
The dingy skipper is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae.
Leptidea sinapis, or the wood white butterfly of the family Pieridae, is a small white butterfly that is mainly found in England, Ireland, and Northern Europe. The butterfly has white wings with grey or yellow markings near the center or tip of the wing. It flies slowly and low over its shrubbery habitat. Males initiate courtship with females and can mate multiply, while females tend to only mate once in their lifetime.
Linaria vulgaris, the common toadflax, yellow toadflax or butter-and-eggs, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to Europe, Siberia and Central Asia. It has also been introduced and is now common in North America.
Bird's foot may refer to:
Sambucus nigra is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry fertile soils, primarily in sunny locations. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree. Both the flowers and the berries have a long tradition of culinary use, primarily for cordial and wine.
Dactylis glomerata is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, known as cock's-foot, also colloquially as orchard grass, or cat grass (due to its popularity for use with domestic cats). It is a cool-season perennial C3 tufted grass native throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa.
Rhamphospermum arvense, the charlock mustard, field mustard, wild mustard, or just charlock, is an annual or winter annual plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in the fields of North Africa, Asia, Europe, and some other areas where it has been transported and naturalized. Pieris rapae, the small white butterfly, and Pieris napi, the green veined white butterfly, are significant consumers of charlock during their larval stages.
Corniculate, an Anglicisation of the Latin diminutives corniculata, corniculatum, and corniculatus, describes an object possessing hornlike extensions. The root is Latin cornu = "horn". The term is used to describe the shape of the corniculate cartilages of the larynx. The horned puffin is named for its distinctive horn-like coloration. Likewise Oxalis corniculata is named for its two erect capsules, which resemble little horns, and the bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus and goat's horn mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum are named for their horn-shaped fruits.
Zygaena trifolii, the five-spot burnet, is a day-flying moth in the family Zygaenidae found in North Africa and Europe. It was described by the German zoologist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783 from the type specimen found in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
William Frederick Grant was a Canadian plant geneticist, biosystematist, educator, and environmental advocate who developed higher plant species for monitoring and testing for mutagenic effects of environmental pollutants. He has carried out research on the genetics of species of the genus Lotus (Leguminosae) and the forage species Lotus corniculatus developing an innovative procedure for increasing seed production in the legume birdsfoot trefoil.
NVC community CG3 is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of four communities of rank, tussocky grassland associated with low levels of grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group.
NVC community CG6 is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of four communities of rank, tussocky grassland associated with low levels of grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group.
Lotus subbiflorus, the hairy bird's-foot trefoil, is a flowering plant of the pea family Fabaceae.
Polruan to Polperro is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in south-east Cornwall, England, UK, noted for its biological interest. It contains a wide variety of plant species and is a site for populations of breeding birds.
Osmia uncinata, the pinewood mason bee, is a species of solitary bee from the family Megachilidae It is an Arctic-alpine species which is found in the northern Palearctic, in the United Kingdom it is a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.
Scythris siccella is a moth of the family Scythrididae first described by the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839, found in Europe.