Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Ornithopus perpusillus

Other names

Common Birdsfoot

Family

Fabaceae

Flowering season

May to August

English distribution

It is found throughout the country but is less common in

the Northeast.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland

– Bird's-Foot

Habitat

It grows in dry, acidic, sandy and gravelly soils.

Description

Bird's-Foot is a native, prostrate, nitrogen-fixing,

winter annual growing in patches.

The flowers are in heads of between 3 and 8.

They are small, at up to 5mm, with a white standard 

petal with red veins, white lateral petals and a yellow

keel.  

The calyx has 5 pointed, hairy sepals.

The bract is leaf-like, sessile, pinnate and hairy.

Fruits are constricted between the seeds to resemble 

birds' feet (not shown).

Leaves are up to 3cm with up to 7 pairs of leaflets of 4mm.