ANTHYLLIS HERMANNIAE

Family and Genus:- See- LEGUMINOSAE

Common Names:- Hermann's kidney-vetch

Homotypic Synonyms:- Aspalathoides hermanniae, Zenopogon herrmanniae.

Meaning:- Anthyllis (Gr) Downy-flower.

Hermanniae (L) For Paul Hermann (1646-95). Professor of Botany at

Leiden.

General description:- Semi-evergreen shrub, generally dense and much-branched.

older branchlets sometimes becoming spiny.

Stems:-

1) Up to 1 m.

Leaves:-

1) Rather small simple or 3-foliolate, leaflets, oblong-spathulate or oblong-obovate,

sericeous above, strongly so beneath, with small, black-tipped stipules.

Flowers:-

1) Solitary or in axillary fascicles of up to 3 flowers, forming an interrupted raceme.

2) Calyx, 3-5 mm, narrowly campanulate, the teeth triangular, much shorter than

the sparsely sericeous tube.

3) Corolla, yellow, c. 6 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Legume. small, obovate, 1-seeded.

Key features:-

1) Flowers in axillary fascicles or solitary.

2) Bracts, simple.

3) Plant spiny.

4) Branches tortuous.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Common constituent of open dry shrubby vegetation and as undergrowth

in open coniferous wood-land. 0-600(-1000) m.

Distribution:-Widespread on mainland Greece. From Corsica and Sardinia to W.

Anatolia. Widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mar to mid-June.

Photos by:- Dr. Armin Jagel