''Ornithopus sativus'', the serradella or common birdsfoot, is a species of flowering plant in the family
.
It is native to Southwestern Europe and Northwest Africa in Portugal, western Spain, northern Morocco and Algeria, and southwestern France and has been introduced as a legume
forage
Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...
to many locations around the world, including most of central and eastern Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, the Azores, South Africa, Kenya,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, most of Australia, the
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
of New Zealand, southern Chile, and California.
It is known for producing a highquality forage in highly acidic, nutrientpoor soils.
Subtaxa
The following subtaxa are accepted:
*''Ornithopus sativus'' nothosubsp. ''macrorrhynchus''
(Willk.) Talavera, Arista & P.L.Ortiz
*''Ornithopus sativus'' subsp. ''sativus''
References
Loteae
Forages
Flora of Portugal
Flora of Spain
Flora of France
Flora of the Azores
Flora of Madeira
Flora of Morocco
Flora of Algeria
Plants described in 1804
{{Loteae-stub