Serradella, Common bird's-foot
Ornithopus sativus
Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae
What it is like
Ornithopus sativus is a ANNUAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.7
Where it is found
Along the sides of roads and as a weed of cultivated ground. Naturalized on china clay waste in south-eastern Cornwall.
South-western Europe. Naturalized in south-west Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
A good green manure crop, fixing atmospheric nitrogen and forming a good weed-excluding ground cover.
Green manure: Fast-growing plants that can be used to increase the fertility of the soil.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
This species is occasionally cultivated as a green manure crop. 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.
Propagating it: Seed -
Best place to grow: Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist