Ononis spinosaL. - Spinny Restharrow
Scientific Description:
Perennial with erect or ascending stems, without stolons, 30−60 cm, spinescent, with an indumentum of short pedicellate or sessile glands and longer eglandular hairs, sometimes glabrescent. Upper leaves often unifoliolate, the others trifoliolate; leaflets ovate to oblong, denticulate, 5−20 × 3−10 mm. Flowers shortly pedicellate, mainly single in the leaf-axils, forming loose racemes. Calyx campanulate, 5−10 mm, parted to ⅔ − ¾ into linear-lanceolate 1−3-nerved lobes; teeth glabrescent or covered with sessile to subsessile glands, sometimes intermixed with longer eglandular hairs. Corolla pink, 6−10(−15) mm, occasionally white, standard often with purple stripes. Legume ovate, glandular-hairy, 1−3-ovuled. Seeds orbicular, tubercled or smooth, 2 mm.
Flowering time: May−August.
Habitat: Stony slopes, vineyards, cultivated land, s.l.−2250 m.
subsp. leiosperma (Boiss.) Sirj.
Seeds smooth.
Reference:
Huber-Morath A (1970). Ononis spinosa L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 3: 381.
Public Description:
Ononis spinosa, common name “spiny restharrow”, is found throughout most of Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa and temperate Asia. The restharrow has a single dark pink flowers and three-parted leaves, which are up to 60 cm in length. The genus name of the plant comes from the Greek words "ono (= donkey)" and "oninemi (= useful)". Despite their sharp thorns in their side branches, the only animal that can digest this plant is a donkey, so it is thought that it is useful for donkeys and a combination of these two terms were given as a genus name for the species. The epithet name “spinosa” refers to the “full of sharp thorns”.
subsp. leiosperma (Boiss.) Sirj.
Different from the other (subsp. antiquorum), have smooth seeds.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ononis_spinosa /, Accessed date: 13.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ononis+spinosa /, Accessed date: 13.02.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://www.avogel.com/plant-encyclopaedia/ononis_spinosa.php/, Accessed date: 13.02.2016.
Vural M (2012). Ononis L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 482−484.