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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.