Birds-foot trefoil

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Birds-foot trefoil inflorescence

Birds-foot Trefoil

Birds-foot trefoil pod

Birds-foot trefoil

Birds-foot trefoil flowers

Morphology

Stem

Decumbent or rarely erect, several-branched from base.

Leaves

Alternate, short-stalked, pinnately 5-foliolate; leaflets obovate to broadly lanceolate, 1/4 to 3/4 inch long, about 1/4 inch wide, nearly sessile, glabrous or slightly pubescent; tips blunt or pointed; 3 leaflets grouped together at tip of rachis, lower 2 at base of rachis and resembling stipules.

Inflorescence

Umbels, 3-8-flowered, on stalks 4-6 inches long.

Flower

Showy; calyces 5-lobed; tips pointed; corollas papilionaceous, bright yellow to orange-red, about 1/2 inch long; stamens 10, 9 united, 1 free.

Fruit

Pods, slender, linear, 1-1.5 inch long, dark brown to black, twisting somewhat when dry, resembling bird's feet; seeds 8-18, small, often spotted.

Ecology

Habitat

Roadsides, disturbed areas, fields, and waste ground.

Distribution

East half of Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Drought resistant and produces nutritious, palatable forage for livestock and deer. It is thought not to cause bloat, as many legumes do.

Uses

Game birds and small mammals eat the seeds. Bird's-foot trefoil is sometimes planted for pasture and hay, and for soil conservation along highways.

Additional Notes