Kidney Vetch

Anthyllis vulneraria

Plant Data

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Yellow, 5 petals

Yellow pea-like flowers which grow in clusters, sometimes orange and very occasionally red. Each flower has a hairy calyx which contains the sepals, making it look woolly. Flowerheads are very attractive to insects such as bees.

Fruit:

Roundish, hairy pea-like pods, reaching a length of 4mm. The pods each contain a single seed.

Leaves:

The leaves are alternate along the stems. Small stipules present. The leaves can be stalked, or stalkless. They are compound leaves, made up of 1 to 5 pairs of leaflets. The terminal leaflet is usually the largest. The oval to linear leaflets are sparsely hairy. Not toothed.

Maximum Size:

60 centimetres tall

Foraging Notes:

The flower heads can be dried and used as a substitute for tea.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Butter Fingers, Double Pincushion, Fingers and Thumbs, Lady's Fingers, Lamb's Foot, Lambs Toes, Woundwort.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Habitats:

Grassland, meadows, mountains, riverbanks, roadsides, rocks, sea cliffs, seaside, waterside.