Ornithopus micranthus (Bentham) Arechavaleta

Leguminosae

Synonyms

• Arthrolobium micranthum Bentham (1859).

Common name:

Serradela nativa

Description:

Annual, herbaceous, erect or decumbent, stems slender and ramified from the crown up to 40 cm long. Winter-spring development, flowers in spring, produces many seeds to be collected at end of spring and early summer to avoid shattering.

Distribution:

Origin Eastern Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil.

Habitat:

Grows in humid sands along rivers or marshes forming almost pure spots, sometimes with sub-aquatic plant communities. Generally found near sea level.

Use:

Due to small size and short life, good quality forage production but limited; forage is tender, liked by cattle, crude protein 17.3 %, P 0.22 %. Susceptible to trampling and rooting up; fenced produces good forage for hay.

Main References:

Arechavaleta, (1901); Burkart, (1952); Fernández et al. (1988); Izaguirre & Beyhaut (1998)