Common name:
Narrow-leaved bird's-foot trefoil
Family:
Scientific name:
Lotus tenuis
Synonym:
Lotus glaber
Main flower color:
Range:
England (and south Wales); most common in the south
Height:
Up to 10 cm
Habitat:
Damp grassland, often on clayish soils
Flowers:
Yellow, with a backwards-cupped banner petal, red-veined towards the base, and broad wing petals, concealing the narrower keel petals. The calyx has five teeth, three close together, and parallel, the other more separated, and converging towards the tip. Flowers are held in clusters of two to four
Fruit:
Slender green pods
Leaves:
Five narrow (up to 4 mm), hairless leaflets, a pair at the base of the petiole and three at the tip
Season:
May to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
