Birdsfoot trefoil
June 5, 2015
Lotus corniculatus L. Fabaceae (Legume family)
Life cycle
Mat-forming perennial.
Birdsfoot trefoil plant.
Leaves
Alternate, compound with five generally oval and smooth-margined leaflets. Each compound leaf has three terminal leaflets and two reduced leaflets near the stem.
Birdsfoot trefoil leaf.
Stems
Prostrate and spreading to semierect stems are herbaceous, branched from a tough crown and up to 3 feet long. Plants form mats by stolons and rhizomes.
Flowers and fruit
Bright yellow, pealike flowers, sometimes streaked with red, are found in flat-topped clusters at the ends of long stalks. Fruit are several linear, cylinder-shaped pods formed in the shape of a bird’s foot. Each capsule contains several roundish, shiny, olive to black seeds.
Birdsfoot trefoil flowers.
Reproduction
Seeds, stolons and rhizomes.
Print a PDF of this page: Birdsfoot trefoil
Other Documents in this Series
You Might Also Be Interested In
-
Michigan 4-H Alumni Spotlight: Emma Young
Published on February 1, 2025
-
Michigan 4-H Volunteer Webinar Series: 4-H Volunteers’ Guide to Parliamentary Procedure
Published on September 19, 2024
-
Youth Voices in 4-H Committees
Published on June 17, 2021
-
Grace Schmidt: Livingston County 4-H
Published on November 18, 2019
Accessibility Questions:
For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.