Trifolium ornithopodioides
(L.) Sm.
Fabaceae
Trifolium melilotus-ornithopodi (L.) Asch. & Graebn.
Common Name: Birdsfoot Fenugreek
General Information
Trifolium ornithopodioides is an annual to short-lived perennial plant that can grow 2 - 20cm tall[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
Eating this plant can cause bloat, especially if larger quantities are consumed[
1151- Title
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 7
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Government Printing Office; Washington
- Year
- 1900
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A botanical journal. Rather dated, but it includes an ethnobotanical report from California and an early monograph of N. American Apiaceae. It can be downloaded from the Internet
].
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Range
Southern and western Europe - Britain to Denmark, south to Portugal, Macedonia and Romania; N. Africa - Morocco, Algeria
Habitat
Dry sandy and gravelly places in southern England, mainly near the coast[
5- Title
- Food for Free.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Collins
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-00-219060-5
- Description
- Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
,
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual/Perennial |
| Height | 0.15 m |
| Pollinators | Bees |
| Self-fertile | No |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in a moist, well-drained circum-neutral soil in full sun[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. In the wild plants are found in open habitats that are moist or wet in winter[
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
]. Plants are also likely to be resistant to maritime exposure. Succeeds in poor soils.
It grows well in an apple orchard, the trees will produce tastier fruit that stores better[
201- Title
- A - Z of Companion Planting.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Allardice.P.
- Publisher
- Cassell Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1993
- ISBN
- 0-304-34324-2
- Description
- A well produced and very readable book.
]. It should not be grown with camellias or gooseberries because it harbours a mite that can cause fruit drop in the gooseberries and premature budding in the camellias[
201- Title
- A - Z of Companion Planting.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Allardice.P.
- Publisher
- Cassell Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1993
- ISBN
- 0-304-34324-2
- Description
- A well produced and very readable book.
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Buttercups growing nearby depress the growth of the nitrogen bacteria by means of a root exudate[
201- Title
- A - Z of Companion Planting.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Allardice.P.
- Publisher
- Cassell Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1993
- ISBN
- 0-304-34324-2
- Description
- A well produced and very readable book.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
5- Title
- Food for Free.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Collins
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-00-219060-5
- Description
- Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
]. The dried leaves are coumarin-scented and have been suggested as a substitute for fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ.
If the seed is in short supply it might be better to sow it in pots in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
Division in spring.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
