Dorycnium pentaphyllum
Encyclopedia
Dorycnium pentaphyllum, common name: Prostrate Canary Clover, is a herbaceous
perennial plant belonging to the genus Dorycnium
of the Fabaceae
family. The specific Latin name pentaphyllum derives from the greek pénte meaning five and phýllon meaning leaf, referred to the shape of the leaves.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant belonging to the genus Dorycnium
Dorycnium
Dorycnium is a genus of ten species in the pea family, from the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. It is related to Lotus and Tetragonolobus. Both Tetragonolobus and Dorycnium have sometimes been classified as part of Lotus....
of the Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
family. The specific Latin name pentaphyllum derives from the greek pénte meaning five and phýllon meaning leaf, referred to the shape of the leaves.
Description
Dorycnium pentaphyllum reaches on average 10–70 cm (3.9–27.6 ) of height. The stems and the branches are woody. The leaves are composed by five segments and are hairy on both sides. Flowers are small and white, in terminal umbels of 5-20 flowers on a short stalk. The flowering period extends from May through July. The fruits are ovoid reddish-brown legumes {convert|3|-|6|mm}} long containing one or two seeds.Gallery
Habitat
These plants prefer semi-arid hills, sunny and dry pastures and Mediterranean environment and tolerates all soil types. They can be found at an altitude of 0–1300 m (0–4,265.1 ).Subspecies
- Dorycnium pentaphyllum subsp. herbaceum (Vill.) Rouy
- Dorycnium pentaphyllum subsp. suffruticosum (Vill.) Rouy
- Dorycnium pentaphyllum subsp. pentaphyllum