Sainfoin
| Onobrychis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Flowering Onobrychis arenaria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Hedysareae |
| Genus: |
Onobrychis Mill. |
| Species | |
|
Some 140-150, see text. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Dendrobrychis (DC.) Galushko |
|
Some 140-150, see text.
Dendrobrychis (DC.) Galushko
Xanthobrychis Galushko
Onobrychis, the sainfoins, are Eurasian perennial herbs of the legume family (Fabaceae). Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known. The Flora Europaea lists 23 species of Onobrychis; the main centre of diversity extends from Central Asia to Iran, with 56 species – 27 of which are endemic – in the latter country alone.O. viciifolia is naturalized throughout many countries in Europe and North America grasslands on calcareous soils.
Sainfoins are mostly subtropical plants, but their range extends throughout Europe as far north as southern Sweden. These plants grow on grassland, agricultural land and . The leaves are pinnate, alternate, with 6 to 14 pairs of oblong to linear leaflets. Sainfoins have pale pink flowers, typically blooming between June and September and pollinated by honey bees and solitary bees. The rounded single-seeded pods bear prominent spikes or similar protrusions in many species, enabling them to cling to the fur of large mammals and be thus distributed.
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Wikipedia