Bird's-foot

Bird’s-foot (Ornithopus perpusillus) gets its name from its slightly curved, pointed pods, which could be seen as resembling bird’s claws. 

It is common throughout Britain, apart from the far north, preferring well-drained sandy or gravelly soils. Although it is a native British species, bird’s-foot is more common in continental Europe as far east as Poland and as far north as southern Sweden.

Bird’s-foot grows up to 18 inches in height (45 cms). 

The stems, some of which sprawl along the ground, have fine hairs. The leaves are split into pairs of leaflets, with a single leaflet at the tip. The first leaflets are often close to the stem and curved backwards.

Bird’s-foot flowers from May to August, with each flower-stalk carrying several small blossoms. The flowers, which are white with red veins, normally pollinate themselves. A characteristic feature of bird’s-foot is a leaf-like bract that grows immediately below the cluster of flowers.

Bird’s-foot is a member of the pea family and produces its seeds in curved pods. However, the pods are segmented with one seed per segment. When ripe, the pods break apart one segment at a time.

 © John Welford