''Erinacea anthyllis'', the blue broom, hedgehog plant, or rushy kidney vetch, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Fabaceae. It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to stony mountainous places in the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean and Morocco. It is a dwarf, spiny,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub growing to a dome shape tall and wide. It has dense foliage, and lilac coloured pea-like flowers in late spring and early summer. The Latin specific epithet ''anthyllis'' highlights the plant's similarity to the related kidney vetch, ''

Anthyllis vulneraria ''Anthyllis vulneraria'', the common kidneyvetch, kidney vetch or woundwort is a medicinal plant native to Europe. The name ''vulneraria'' means "wound healer". Description ''Anthyllis vulneraria'' reaches of height. The stem is simple or more ...

''.

Cultivation

''Erinacea anthyllis'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. It is best grown in sun, in sharply-drained

alkaline soil Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico ...

which reproduces the limestone of its native habitat. Once established, it is extremely long-lived.

Gallery

File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - MONTSEC - IB-487 (Eriçó).jpg, Montsec de Rúbies, foothills of the Pyrenees File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - L'ALZINA-3.JPG, Close-up of flowers File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - ROCA ALTA.JPG, Graell de Roca Alta, Montsec

References

Genisteae Flora of the Pyrenees Flora of Morocco Garden plants of Europe {{Faboideae-stub