''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefoil, though the latter name is often also applied to other members of the genus. It is a perennial

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

aceous plant, similar in appearance to some clovers. The name 'bird's foot' refers to the appearance of the seed pods on their stalk. Five leaflets are present, but with the central three held conspicuously above the others, hence the use of the name 'trefoil'. It is often used as forage and is widely used as food for livestock due to its nonbloating properties.

Description

The height of the plant is variable, from , occasionally more where supported by other plants; the stems can reach up to long. It is typically sprawling at the height of the surrounding grassland. It can survive fairly close grazing, trampling, and mowing. It is most often found in sandy soils. It flowers from June to September. The flowers develop into small pea-like pods or

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

s. The plant had many common English names in Britain, which are now mostly out of use. These names were often connected with the yellow and orange colour of the flowers, e.g. 'butter and eggs'. One name that is still used is eggs and bacon (or bacon and eggs). Lotus corniculatus Minnesota

Subtaxa

The following subspecies are accepted: *''Lotus corniculatus'' subsp. ''afghanicus'' *''Lotus corniculatus'' subsp. ''corniculatus'' *''Lotus corniculatus'' subsp. ''delortii'' *''Lotus corniculatus'' subsp. ''fruticosus'' *''Lotus corniculatus'' subsp. ''preslii''

Distribution and habitat

''Lotus corniculatus'' has a broad distribution worldwide. It is common everywhere in Britain and Ireland. Habitats include old fields, grassy places, and roadsides.Hackney, P. (Ed) 1992. ''Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland,'' Third Edition. Institute of Irish Studies,The Queen's University of Belfast.

Uses

It is used in agriculture as a forage plant, grown for pasture, hay, and silage. It is a high quality forage that does not cause bloat in ruminants. Taller-growing cultivars have been developed for this. It may be used as an alternative to

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

in poor soils. A double-flowered variety is grown as an ornamental plant. It is regularly included as a component of wildflower mixes in Europe. It can also prevent soil erosion and provide a good habitat for wildlife. Fresh bird's-foot trefoil contains cyanogenic glycosides, which release small amounts of

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an ...

when macerated. This is not normally poisonous to humans, though, as the dose is very low, and the metabolization of cyanide is relatively quick. Condensed tannins are also present in ''L. corniculatus''. In the traditional medicine of the Sannio regio of Italy, the diluted infusions were used for anxiety, insomnia, and exhaustion.

Ecology

The flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees. In the Chicago Region, mostly non-native bees have been observed visiting the flowers, including ''

Andrena wilkella ''Andrena wilkella'', also known as Wilke's mining bee, is a species of miner bee in the family Andrenidae. Its original distribution is Europe. It has been accidentally introduced to North America long ago, possibly with ship ballast. It is act ...

'', '' Anthidium oblongatum'', ''

Apis mellifera The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", ...

'' and '' Megachile rotundata''. The native bees '' Bombus impatiens'' and ''

Megachile relativa ''Megachile relativa'' is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Both that their pollen-carrying structure (called a ''scopa'') is restricted to the ventral surface of the ...

'' have also been observed visiting birdsfoot trefoil flowers, though the latter only rarely. The plant is an important

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

source for many insects and is also used as a larval food plant by many species of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

such as six-spot burnet and the

silver-studded blue The silver-studded blue (''Plebejus argus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It has bright blue wings rimmed in black with white edges and silver spots on its hindwings, lending it the name of the silver-studded blue. ''P. argus'' can be ...

. It is a host plant for the wood white butterfly, '' Leptidea sinapis''.Clarke, S. A.; Green, D. G.; Joy, J.; Wollen, K.; Butler, I. (2011-04-01)
"Leptidea sinapis (Wood White butterfly) egg-laying habitat and adult dispersal studies in Herefordshire"
''Journal of Insect Conservation''. 15 (1-2): 23–35. doibr>10.1007/s10841-010-9300-8
ISSNbr>1366-638X

Invasive species

Birdsfoot trefoil is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in many parts of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It has been commonly planted along roadsides for erosion control or pastures for forage and then spreads into natural areas. Once it has established in an area, it can outcompete native species. The use of prescribed fire is not an effective management tool against ''Lotus corniculatus'' and herbicide is recommended instead to control it.

Gallery

References

External links

Jones, D.A. and Turkington, R., 1986. Biological flora of the British Isles: ''Lotus corniculatus''. Journal of Ecology 74, pp.1185-1212.Jepson manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q29907 corniculatus Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus