Ornithopus Perpusillus, Bird's-Foot



Common name:
Bird's-foot
Family:
Scientific name:
Ornithopus perpusillus
Main flower color:
Range:
England, Wales and Ireland, mainly in coastal locations
Height:
A few cm - a mat-forming species, with stems up to 40 cm long
Habitat:
Dry grassland and sandy places
Flowers:
Banner and wing petals are creamy-white, the banner with bright red/pink veins, while keel petals are yellowish. Flowers are tiny, at most 3 mm across, arranged in clusters of three to six, each cluster subtended by a pinnate, leaf-like bract
Fruit:
Cylindrical pods up to 20 mm long, strongly constricted between each seed
Leaves:
Pinnately divided, with between five and 13 pairs of hairy leaflets
Season:
May to August
Rarity:
★★★★★