Family |
Fabaceae
Ononis pubescens
L.
Ononis pubescens L.
First published in Mant. Pl. 2: 267 (1771).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, pp. 237–238, Pl. XCIII, 2; 1970)
Description
Life-form & habit: Erect annual reaching 60 cm, with a rather stout stem, softly hairy or somewhat sticky-glandular.
Leaves: Fairly long-stalked; the lowest and highest leaves are simple, the others divided into three large, ovate or elliptic leaflets. Stipules are broadly lanceolate with entire margins.
Inflorescence & flowers: Short, dense terminal racemes of pale-yellow flowers. Each flower stalk is about as long as the 1 cm calyx; its five-veined, oblong-lanceolate lobes are slightly exceeded by the corolla.
Fruit: Ovate to rhomboid pod with a short pointed tip, shorter than the calyx and containing two or three seeds.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering April–May.
Habitat & elevation: Degraded woodland and grassy places.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Saida, Doukhan el Kassis, north of Damour, Beirut, Nahr el Kelb, Batroun, Tripoli–Bahsas, Abey, Broummana, Mar Roukhos, Antoura, Ain Rihaniye, Kornet Chehwan and Kfertay.
Syrian distribution: Banias, Latakia, Wadi Qandil, Sarmada–Harim, Azaz and Hamme.
Native range: Algeria, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Sinai, Spain, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe.
Kew lists occurrence in Iraq as doubtful.