Lotus pedunculatus
| Lotus pedunculatus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Tribe: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | L. pedunculatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lotus pedunculatus | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Lotus uliginosus Schkuhr | |
Lotus pedunculatus (formerly Lotus uliginosus), the big trefoil,[1] greater bird's-foot-trefoil[2] or marsh bird's-foot trefoil, is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae).
It is a herbaceous perennial growing throughout Europe in damp, open locations. As one common name suggests, it is a larger plant than related Lotus species, growing 20–80 cm (8–30 in) tall, with leaflets 10–25 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) broad. Five to twelve golden-yellow flowers 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long are borne in an umbel at the tip of the upright stem.
Unlike related species, the stem is always hollow, and the sepals turn back at their tips – these sepal tips form a characteristic "green star" at the end of the flower bud. The peak flowering period in the United Kingdom is June and July.[3]
Lotus pedunculatus occurs in a wide range of neutral, damp, open habitats, including certain fen-meadow plant associations such as Juncus subnodulosus-Cirsium palustre fen-meadow habitat.[4]
Gallery
References
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Lotus pedunculatus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ C.A. Stace, Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia. ISBN 90-75000-69-3. (Online version)
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Marsh Thistle: Cirsium palustre, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Strömberg Template:Wayback
External links
- Forest & Kim Starr. 2002. Images of Hawaii. Photos of L. uliginosus
- Photos of L. uliginosus
- Images of L. pedunculatus
 | This Faboideae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |