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Kidney Vetch

Kidney Vetch

Anthyllis vulneraria

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How common: Common

Kidney Vetch is a low, tufted wildflower in the pea family with round, fuzzy flower heads. It grows widely in Europe on sunny, dry ground and is sometimes planted as a groundcover. The flowers are usually pale yellow.

Did you know?

  • Protected in Finland, except in Åland.
  • People once used Kidney Vetch to dye wool and flax.

About the species

Identification

A short-lived plant (often two years). Stems can lie along the ground, then rise, or stand upright. Lower leaves are one oval piece; upper leaves are divided into pairs of small oval parts with a larger tip piece. Flower heads are round, about 2–4 cm, usually one or two at the stem top, sometimes on side branches. Each pea-like flower is pale yellow and sits in a swollen, woolly greenish cup that may be reddish at the tip. After flowering, the cups remain and hide a small, one-seeded pod. Flowers in Finland from June to August.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

rock, meadow, yards and roadsides

Flowering

Jun–Aug

About the habitat

Dry, sunny places such as meadows, open slopes, sandy or gravelly ground, roadsides, railways and harbours. Four subspecies occur; three mainly in the south, and a northern subspecies is rare in the north.

Sources

Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anthyllis vulneraria inflorescence - Niitvälja.jpg

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Metsät: harjumetsät, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39064

Text: Pinkka: BIO-514 Pohjois-Suomen putkilokasvit - Actaea-Carduus, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39064

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masmalo

See also