Relatives

Lotus strictus Fisch. & C.A.Mey. - Straight Bird.s-foot-trefoil, Straight Canary Clover.

Taxonomic position.

Family Fabaceae Lindl., genus Lotus L.

Main synonyms.

Dorycnium strictum (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Lassen

Morphology and biology.

Perennial plant 40-75 cm tall, glabrous, only in upper part pubescent with short adpressed hairs. Stems erect, thick, lignescent in lower part. Leaf with 5 leaflets. Leaflets oblong-obovate, narrowed toward base, rounded at apex, 20-25 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, on short petioles. Peduncles 2-3 cm long. Flowers aggregated in umbel-like inflorescences by 3-6. Pedicels 2-4 mm long. Calyx 7-9 mm long, tubular, with narrow triangular teeth, covered with adpressed hairs. Corolla light yellow, with dark veins. Standard 10-12 mm long with thick cartilaginous unguis. Standard unguis 2 times as long as limb. Wings 9-11 mm long, their limb 1.5 times as long as unguis. Keel 9-11 mm long, narrow, with dark purple limb. Pods long, cylindric, 25-40 mm long, 3 mm wide, dark brown. Flowers in July - August, fruits in August - September. Entomophilous. Zoochore.

Distribution.

General distribution: from Southern Transcaucasia to Altai. Former USSR: Caucasus - Southern Transcaucasia; Central Asia - Dzungaria-Tarbagatai region, West Siberia - Altai.

Ecology.

In wet salty meadows and on alkaline soils.

Use and economic value.

Forage plant (grazing), suitable for salty areas. Green manure.

References:

Grossheim AA. 1952. Flora of Caucasus. 2nd ed. V.5. P.390. (In Russian).
Pavlov NV., ed. 1961. Flora of Kazakhstan. V.2. Alma-Ata. 515 p. (In Russian).
Polozhij AV., Malyshev LI., ed. 1994. Flora of Siberia. V.9. Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Novosibirsk: Nauka. 280 p. (In Russian).
Shishkin BK., ed. 1945. Flora URSS. V.11. P.296. (In Russian).
Cherepanov SK. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR). St.Petersburg. 990 p. (In Russian).

© T.N.Smekalova

Photo L.Yu.Shipilina