Relatives
Trigonella monspeliaca L. - Montpellierian Fenugreek.
Taxonomic position.
Family Fabaceae Lindl., genus Trigonella L.Synonyms.
Trigonella monspeliaca L. subsp. subacaulis Feinbrun., Medicago monspeliaca (L.) Trautv.Morphology and biology.
Annual herbaceous plant. Stems ascending, often prostrate, 10-20 cm tall, adpressedly hairy, usually branched from base. Stipules small, semi-sagittate, lower ones dentate. Leaf blades 4.0-10.0 mm long and 3-7 mm wide, obovate-cuneate, adpressedly hairy. Inflorescences sessile in leaf axils, numerous, with 4-15 flowers. Corolla pale yellow, 4 mmlong. Fruit is a stellately divaricated linear pod 7-15 cm long, slightly bent, pubescent, very shortly beaked. Seeds small (1.5 mm), thin, tuberculate. Flowers in April, fruits in May. Autogamous plant. 2n=16.Distribution.
Moldova, Black Sea Region, Crimea, Caucasus, mountain Turkmenistan, Caspian Lowland.Ecology.
On stony and debris slopes, in steppes, at roadsides.Economic value.
May be used as forage plant during spring.References:
Grossheim AA. 1945. Fenugreek - Trigonella L. In: Shishkin BK., ed. 1945. Flora URSS. V.11. P.102-129. (In Russian).Grossheim AA. 1952. Flora of Caucasus. 2nd ed. V.5. P.168-177. (In Russian).
Vassilchenko IT. 1987. Fenugreek - Trigonella L. In: Fedorov AA., Tzvelev NN., eds. Flora of the European part of the USSR. V.6. P.182-186. (In Russian).