Pea Family - Trifoliate leaves

Pea Family - Fabaceae

Identification

These are all members of the pea family with trifoliate leaves. This page includes the bird's-foot-trefoils and some of the restharrows as well as a few other species. Other members of the family with trifoliate leaves, including the trefoils, melilots and medicks can all be found on a separate page by clicking here.

Pitch Trefoil Bituminaria bituminosa

Native from the Canary Islands eastward to the Middle East. Common in rough places in seminatural habitats such as field edges and roadsides.


Habit	Habit	Flowers	Flowers

Leaf	Leaf

Greater Badassi Lotus rectus

Native to the Mediterranean Region. Larger than other Lotus species, growing to a metre in height and forming a subshrub.


Habit	Habit	Flowers	Flowers

Leaves	Leaf	Leaf

Canary Clover Lotus hirsutus

Native to the Mediterranean Region.


Habit	Habit	Flowers	Flowers

Flower	Calyxes	Leaves	Leaf

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

Native throughout Europe, much of Asia and North and East Africa.


Flowers	Flowers	Leaf	Seed pods

Large-fruited Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus edulis

Native to the Mediterranean Region. Flowers relatively large (to 16mm long) on long pedicels./p>


Habit	Flowers	Flowers	Flower

Calyx	Leaf	Seed pods	Seed pod

Grey Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus cytisoides

Native to the Mediterranean Region. Much confused with Lotus creticus, perhaps because it was considered a form of that species in older books. Grey Bird's-foot-trefoil is highly variable, with glaucous forms resembling creticus and green forms resembling L. longisiliquosus (formerly L. collinus) and with the species often growing together. Grey Bird's-foot-trefoil differs from creticus in its narrower flowers with a shorter, curved keel and its more slender pods. It differs from longisiliquosus by its shorter, blunter calyx teeth and purple-tipped keel.