CORONILLA SCORPIOIDES

Family and Genus:- See- LEGUMINOSAE

Common Names:- Annual scorpion vetch, sickle vetch.

Homotypic Synonyms:- Artrolobium scorpioides, Aviunculus scorpioides,

Ornithopodium scorpioides, Ornithopus scorpioides, Scorpius scorpioides.

Meaning:- Coronilla (L) Little-garland, (the flower-heads).

Scorpioides (L) Curved like a scorpion's tail.

General description:- Glabrous, somewhat glaucous annual, usually branched

from base.

Stems:-

1) 10-20 cm. slender, ascending.

Leaves:-

1) Sessile, mostly 3-foliolate with ± pair of small, suborbicular lateral leaflets and a

large, broadly ellipticoblong terminal leaflet. up to 40mm.

2) Stipules, leaf-opposed, small, connate.

Flowers:-

1) 2-5 in axillary, pedunculate umbels.

2) Calyx, c. 1.5 mm, teeth short or obsolete.

3) Corolla, 4-6 mm, yellow, petal sometimes veined with brown.

Fruit:-

1) Legume, linear, 2-4 cm long, usually much curved, prominently articulated.

Key features:-

1) Leaves, mostly 3-foliolate.

2) Corolla, 4-6 mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Olive groves, field margins, open dry shrubby vegetation , open coniferous

wood-land and road embankments. 0-1100 m.

Distribution:- Rather common throughout Greece. - Widespread in the

Mediterranean region ans eastwards to Iran. Widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mid-Mar to June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton