Lotus (genus)

Most species have leaves with five leaflets; two of these are at the extreme base of the leaf, with the other three at the tip of a naked midrib. This gives the appearance of a pair of large stipules below a "petiole" bearing a trefoil of three leaflets; in fact, the true stipules are minute, soon falling or withering. Some species have pinnate leaves with up to 15 leaflets. The flowers are in clusters of three to ten together at the apex of a stem with some basal leafy bracts; they are pea-flower shaped, usually vivid yellow, but occasionally orange or red. The seeds develop in three or four straight, strongly diverging pods, which together make a shape reminiscent of the diverging toes of a small bird, leading to the common name "bird's-foot". ==Taxonomy==

The genus Lotus is taxonomically complex. It has at times been divided into subgenera and split into segregate genera, but with no consistent consensus. P.H. Raven in 1971 is said to have been the first to suggest that the "New World" (American) and "Old World" (African and Eurasian) species did not belong in the same genus. A molecular phylogenetic study in 2000 based on nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences confirmed this view. • Lotus aduncus • Lotus aegaeus • Lotus alianus • Lotus alpinus - alpine bird's-foot-trefoil • Lotus anfractuosus • Lotus angustissimus – slender bird's-foot trefoil • Lotus arabicus • Lotus arenarius • Lotus argyrodes • Lotus arinagensis • Lotus assakensis • Lotus australis – austral trefoil • Lotus axilliflorus • Lotus becquetii • Lotus benoistii • Lotus berthelotii – Canary Islands trefoil • Lotus biflorus • Lotus borbasii • Lotus broussonetii • Lotus brunneri • Lotus burttii • Lotus callis-viridis • Lotus campylocladus • Lotus carpetanus • Lotus castellanus • Lotus chazaliei • Lotus compactus • Lotus conimbricensis • Lotus conjugatus • Lotus corniculatus – common bird's-foot trefoil, bird's-foot deervetch • Lotus creticus • Lotus cruentus • Lotus cytisoides • Lotus × davyae • Lotus discolor • Lotus divaricatus • Lotus dorycnium • Lotus drepanocarpus • Lotus dumetorum • Lotus edulis • Lotus emeroides • Lotus eremiticus • Lotus eriophthalmus • Lotus frondosus • Lotus fulgurans • Lotus garcinii • Lotus gebelia • Lotus germanicus • Lotus glacialis • Lotus glareosus • Lotus glaucus • Lotus glinoides • Lotus goetzei • Lotus gomerythus • Lotus graecus • Lotus halophilus • Lotus hebecarpus • Lotus hebranicus • Lotus herbaceus • Lotus hirsutus • Lotus holosericeus • Lotus jacobaeus • Lotus japonicus • Lotus jolyi • Lotus jordanii • Lotus krylovii • Lotus kunkelii • Lotus lalambensis • Lotus lancerottensis • Lotus lanuginosus • Lotus laricus • Lotus latidentatus • Lotus lebrunii • Lotus longisiliquosus • Lotus lourdes-santiagoi • Lotus loweanus • Lotus macranthus • Lotus maculatus • Lotus maritimus • Lotus maroccanus • Lotus mascaensis • Lotus × medioximus • Lotus michauxianus • Lotus × minoricensis • Lotus miyakojimae • Lotus mlanjeanus • Lotus mollis • Lotus namulensis • Lotus nubicus • Lotus oliveirae • Lotus ononopsis • Lotus ornithopodioides • Lotus palustris • Lotus parviflorus – smallflower bird's-foot trefoil, smallflower trefoil • Lotus peczoricus • Lotus pedunculatus – greater bird's-foot trefoil, marsh bird's-foot trefoil, large bird's-foot trefoil, big trefoil • Lotus peregrinus • Lotus polyphyllos • Lotus pseudocreticus • Lotus purpureus • Lotus pyranthus • Lotus quinatus • Lotus rechingeri • Lotus rectus • Lotus requienii • Lotus robsonii • Lotus sanguineus • Lotus schoelleri • Lotus sessilifolius • Lotus simoneae • Lotus spartioides • Lotus spectabilis • Lotus stepposus • Lotus strictus • Lotus subbiflorus – hairy bird's-foot trefoil • Lotus subdigitatus • Lotus taitungensis • Lotus tenellus (including Lotus leptophyllus (Lowe) K.Larsen) • Lotus tenuis – narrowleaf trefoil, slender trefoil, creeping trefoil, or prostrate trefoil • Lotus tetragonolobus • Lotus tetraphyllus • Lotus tibesticus • Lotus torulosus • Lotus × ucrainicus • Lotus villicarpus • Lotus weilleri • Lotus wildii • Lotus zemmouriensis Species placed elsewhere • Lotus aboriginus = Hosackia rosea • Lotus argophyllus = Acmispon argophyllus • Lotus argyraeus = Acmispon argyraeus • Lotus benthamii = Acmispon cytisoides • Lotus crassifolius = Hosackia crassifolia • Lotus dendroideus = Acmispon dendroideus • Lotus denticulatus = Acmispon denticulatus • Lotus grandiflorus = Acmispon grandiflorus • Lotus hamatus = Acmispon micranthus • Lotus haydonii = Acmispon haydonii • Lotus heermannii = Acmispon tomentosus var. glabriusculus • Lotus humistratus = Acmispon brachycarpus • Lotus incanus = Hosackia incana • Lotus junceus = Acmispon junceus • Lotus mearnsii = Acmispon mearnsii • Lotus micranthus = Acmispon parviflorus • Lotus nevadensis = Acmispon decumbens • Lotus nuttallianus = Acmispon prostratus • Lotus oblongifolius = Hosackia oblongifolia • Lotus pinnatus = Hosackia pinnata • Lotus procumbens = Acmispon procumbens • Lotus rubriflorus = Acmispon rubriflorus • Lotus salsuginosus = Acmispon maritimus • Lotus stipularis = Hosackia stipularis • Lotus wrightii = Ottleya wrightii == Distribution and habitat ==

The genus contains many dozens of species distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere, including Africa, Europe, western, southern, and eastern Asia, and Australia and New Guinea. They are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from coastal environments to high elevations. == Ecology ==

with Lotus corniculatus (common bird's-foot trefoil, birds-foot deervetch) Lotus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. L. corniculatus is an invasive species in some regions of North America and Australia. == Uses ==

Several species are cultivated for forage, including L. corniculatus, L. glaber, and L. pedunculatus. They can produce toxic cyanogenic glycosides which can be potentially toxic to livestock, but also produce tannins, which are a beneficial anti-bloating compound. Species in this genus can fix nitrogen from the air courtesy of their root nodules, making them useful as a cover crop. The nodulating symbionts are Bradyrhizobium and Mesorhizobium bacteria. Scientific research for crop improvement and understanding the general biology of the genus is focused on L. japonicus, which is currently the subject of a full genome sequencing project, and is considered a model organism. Some species, such as L. berthelotii from the Canary Islands, are grown as ornamental plants. ==References==