Lotus Corniculatus

Lotus Corniculatus Facts

• Lotus Corniculatus serves as the scientific name of a stunning and extremely unusual small flowering plant. It also goes by several common names. These include the birdsfoot deervetch, and even the comical sounding eggs and bacon.
• But, regardless of the name one uses for it, the gorgeous plant remains a true marvel of Nature. This actually holds true for reasons other than just its beauty. Believe it or not, the stunning species actually constitutes a member of the pea family.
• However, you do not want to eat it, regardless of its remarkable visual appeal. That’s due to an astonishing fact. That’s the fact that this little beauty actually contains  naturally occurring trace amounts of the deadly chemical cyanide.
• In extremely small amounts, however, this beautiful and remarkable species does have some medicinal uses. To the great surprise of many people, though, the beautiful plant also actually gets widely used as a source of forage for livestock.
• The majority of animal kept as livestock, fortunately for them, have an advantage over human beings. That’s true since many of these animals can eat the beautiful yet dangerous Lotus Corniculatus without incurring any harmful effects.
• Most animals have a much greater natural tolerance for small concentrations of cyanide than homo sapiens. Fortunately, the lovely flora also has a comparatively wide range of distribution. Therefore, the IUCN has no listing for it.

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Lotus Corniculatus Physical Description

Most notably, though seemingly extremely delicate, the magnificent Lotus Corniculatus surprises most people. That’s due to the fact that this particular variety of Angiosperm holds many surprises. Among those is the fact that it’s actually quite hardy.

Nonetheless, sheer physical size does not rank as one of the astounding characteristics of the beautiful Angiosperm. That remains true since this herbaceous plant only achieves a maximum known height of about 8 in (20 cm) unless supported by other plants.

Further, this stunning flora most commonly grows in a sprawling manner along the ground. But it rarely does so over great distances. In addition, the small flowers of the gorgeous Lotus Corniculatus display combinations of orange and yellow color.

Also, and not surprisingly, since it is part of the pea family, the seeds develop in small, elongated pods. Furthermore, the leaves of the plant most commonly grow in groups of five. Typically, three of these form a trefoil pattern over the other two.

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Phylum: Angiosperms
• Class: Eudicots
• Order: Fabales
• Family: Fabaceae
• Genus: Lotus
• Species: L. corniculatus

Lotus Corniculatus Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

First of all, the visually breathtaking, and scientifically fascinating, Lotus Corniculatus remains endemic to a remarkably large section of the globe. In point of fact, the plant inhabits a wide swathe of the continents of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa.

Furthermore, within that truly impressive geographical range of habitation, the plant also predominantly appears in regions of grasslands. But, regardless of its habitat, this marvelous species of flora qualifies as far more than just another visually appealing creation of Nature.

This particular Angiosperm also has an incredibly extreme level of durability. This holds true even to the point of surviving being trampled by livestock. In addition, this unexpectedly tough species also grows equally well in both nutrient-rich soils and nutrient-poor soils.

Further, the Lotus Corniculatus most commonly grows in areas that most plants would find forbidding. In point of fact, this primarily consists of regions of grassland with a high percentage of sand. Few species with comparable beauty can make this claim.

Due to its hardiness, farmers often actually use it in cultivation, especially in certain parts of Europe. Finally, as a result of this practice, it has become considered an invasive species in some portions of Australia and North America.

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