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Wikijunior:Summer Flowers of Northern New England/Lotus corniculatus

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Birdsfoot Trefoil
(Lotus corniculatus)
Flower
Whole plant
Description:
Birdsfoot Trefoil is a clover-like plant with oddly-shaped yellow flowers. The plant doesn't get more than a couple of feet high, and usually is a high as the other plants it grows among. It was brought to North America as a pasture crop because it can be grazed close to the ground and still survive. The leaves usually appear in fives, even though the name suggests that there would only be three (Trefoil means three leaves). It was so named because three of the five leaves are held higher than the other two.

Quick Facts:
The "Birdsfoot" part of the name comes from the shape of the seed stalk.

Orange variety