Seasonal Wild Flowers

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Fabaceae

Bird's-foot-trefoil, Eggs and Bacon, Tom Thumb.

April to September

It is found throughout the country.

See the BSBI distribution map for Common Bird's-foot-trefoil

It is widespread on well drained grassland, marine cliffs, dunes

and shingle, and on rocky ledges and cracks in concrete.

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil is a native, nitrogen-fixing, perennial

herb.

It grows as a prostrate mat or hummock on rocky surfaces, but

is taller when growing in grass.

The flowers (10-16mm ) are in a flowerhead of up to 7.

They are mainly yellow, but are interspersed with orange and

reddish forms.

The sepals are straight, alongside the base of the petals.

The 5 leaflets look like a trefoil because the basal pair appear

separate and attached to the stem.

The pods are up to 30mm long and shaped like a bird's claw.

Seed mixtures tend to include non-native strains.

Previous page: Columbine
Next page: Common Cornsalad

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil hummock

Flowerhead

Close-up of flowers

Calex with straight sepal arrangement

Leaves with 5 leaflets

Birdsfoot pods

Orange (bacon) form

Red form