Birdsfoot trefoil

Fabaceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: Eastern & Central Asis

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Low, prostrate, mat-forming plant that gets to about 6 inches tall.

FLOWERS:

Bright yellow pea-like flowers bloom from June through summer.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Reproduces by seed and by rhizomes that spread to form circular colonies; seed germination occurs in the spring, rhizome growth in the fall.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Trampled lawns in public parks; minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Salt tolerance along roadways;drought tolerance on compacted soils; erosion control on slopes; soil building on degraded land.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Often used for soil stabilization or as a forage crop.