| Ononis repens | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Ononis |
| Species: | O. repens |
| Binomial name | |
| Ononis repens | |
Ononis repens, the common restharrow, is a flowering plant species in the bean family Fabaceae. The name is synonym of Ononis spinosa subsp. procurrens. [1]
It is a prostrate (maximum height 60cm) woody perennial, spreading by rhizomes. [2] It has hairy stems and small oval leaves with toothed edges. Leaflets are less than 3 times as long as wide. It occasionally has soft, weak spines, but never hard spines like those of Ononis spinosa . [3] The leaves are covered in glandular hairs which give a resinous smell on bruising. Plants are hermaphroditic. [4] The zygomorphic flowers are pink and unscented, 15–20mm, blooming from June to September. [3]
It is found by the sea shore, on cliffs and dunes and is also common in grasslands and dry hill pastures in chalk or limestone areas, over light, well-drained soils. It may occasionally grow on roadside verges or beside railways. [2] [3] [5]
The species is native to Europe including the UK and Ireland. Its distribution spreads as far south as Morocco and as far east as Poland. It has declined in some parts of Britain but populations are generally stable. Although the species is very widespread, its distribution is often localised, due to its preference for particular soil conditions [2] [3]
A rare species of moth, Aplasta ononaria is specialised to lay its eggs only on common restharrow. [6]
Ononis repens is pollinated by bees. [4] [7]
Like other species in the order Fabales, Ononis repens fixes nitrogen into soil from the air, promoting the growth of other plants. [4]
Ononis repens is related to liquorice and its roots have a very similar flavour. A liquorice flavour drink can be made by soaking the roots in cold water, and historically the young shoots have been used as a vegetable, boiled or in salads. [4]
The English common name 'restharrow' comes from the plant's propensity to stop horse-drawn farming implements, with its hard, woody roots. [8] The word 'ononis' or 'anonis' has been used for restharrow since classical Greece and Rome and has been suggested to stem from the Ancient Greek onos for donkey because it was used to feed donkeys. [9] [10] The species epithet repens is Latin for creeping, referring to the growth habit of the plant.
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Ranunculus repens, the creeping buttercup, is a flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe, Asia and northwestern Africa. It is also called creeping crowfoot and sitfast.
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Rest-harrow may refer to:
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Aplasta is a monotypic moth genus in the family Geometridae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1823. Its only species, Aplasta ononaria, the rest harrow, was first described by Johann Kaspar Füssli in 1783. It is found in southern Europe to Anatolia and from England to the Baltic states.
Parectopa ononidis is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe, except Ireland and the Balkan Peninsula.
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Elymus lanceolatus is a species of grass known by the common names thickspike wheatgrass and streamside wheatgrass. It is native to North America, where it is widespread and abundant in much of Canada and the western and central United States. There are two subspecies, subsp. lanceolatus occurring throughout the species' range and subsp. psammophilus occurring in the Great Lakes region.
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Ononis natrix, the yellow restharrow or shrubby rest-harrow, is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae.
Scythris siccella is a moth of the family Scythrididae first described by the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839, found in Europe.
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Ononis sieberi is a plant species in the family Fabaceae.
Ononis viscosa is a species of annual herb in the family Fabaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form and broad leaves. Individuals can grow to 0.18 m.