Common Bird's-foot-trefoil
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
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
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 Camash
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
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