Syn.: Ononis legitima Delarbre, Ononis campestris Koch et Ziz, Ononis repens L. subsp. spinosa (L.) Greuter, Ononis arvensis L. subsp. spinosa (L.) Ehrh.
Family: Fabaceae Lindl.
Distribution: Western, Southwestern and Central Europe, from the British Isles to Western Ukraine, from the Balkan Peninsula and Italy to Southern Scandinavia, introduced to Northern America.
Ecology: Grows in grassy places, on sunny slopes and by roadsides, from lowlands to foothills. Flowers from June to August.
Description: Perennial herb with a branched stem, 30–80 cm high, mostly spiny, leaves of three leaflets, each narrowly obovate and serrate. The pink (rarely white) flowers are arranged in racemes, calyx bilabiate, hairy. The fruit is a hairy pod.
Use: The root is used medicinally (herbal tea mixtures).
These images were taken in Czechia, Brno, Kamenný vrch (July 1, 2003).
