Follow Us:

 

Ornithopus sativus - Brot.

Common Name Serradella, Common bird's-foot
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Along the sides of roads and as a weed of cultivated ground[74]. Naturalized on china clay waste in south-eastern Cornwall.
Range South-western Europe. Naturalized in south-west Britain.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Ornithopus sativus Serradella, Common bird


Ornithopus sativus Serradella, Common bird

 

Translate this page:

Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
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.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

Other Uses

Green manure

A good green manure crop, fixing atmospheric nitrogen and forming a good weed-excluding ground cover[46].

Special Uses

Ground cover  Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

This species is occasionally cultivated as a green manure crop[50]. 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].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

Plant Propagation

Seed -

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

EUROPE: Spain, France (southwest), Portugal AFRICA: Algeria (west), Morocco

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it's worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

IUCN Red List

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Support Plants For A Future

Plants For A Future relies on regular donations to keep our free database and search facilities going, to pay for ongoing research, improvements and enhancements, and to develop and publish new books. Read more

Choose Currency

Donate in £ GBP Donate in $ USD Donate in € EUR

Securely pay via PayPal or Credit/Debit Card without an account.

Expert comment

Author

Brot.

Botanical References

5074

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

Subject : Ornithopus sativus  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.