Ononis spinosa

Spiny restharrow

Common restharrow, Thorny restharrow

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Christian Fischer

Short Description

The spiny restharrow can grow 30 to 60 cm tall.

The leaves are divided into three leaflets. The leaflets are oval and serrated at the edge. In the upper part of the stem the leaves can also be undivided.

The stem grows prostrate to erect. It has glandular, sticky hairs all around and is usually thornless. It often becomes woody.

The flowers are pink and have only one mirror axis (mirror symmetrical). They consist of five petals. The large upper petal protrudes upwards. The two lower petals form a hollow boat that surrounds the anthers and pistil.

The fruit is a pod.

Features

Spiny restharrow

Ononis spinosa
  • glandular sticky haired

  • three-parted, denticulated leaves

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Fornax

In the city

In the city, the common restharrow is mainly found on meadows, pastures, paths and embankments. It prefers warm and moderately dry sites.

Fun Facts

  • Living together with root nodule bacteria is typical for the legume family. The bacteria supply the plant with nitrogen. Since the bacteria need a plant for nitrogen fixation, this coexistence has a positive effect on both species (symbiosis).

  • It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).

  • The flowering period is from June to July.

  • None
  • In Germany, the spiny restharrow is native and mostly found frequently. Only in north-western Germany is it sometimes absent over long distances.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Olivier Pichard

Sources

Habitus, Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OnonisSpinosa2.jpg

Habitus, Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ononis_repens_W.jpg

Habitus, Olivier Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ononis_repens_bethisy-saint-martin_60_18062008_2.jpg

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Page „Kriechende Hauhechel“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 16.11.2017, 10:40 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kriechende_Hauhechel&oldid=171052721 (Accessed: 16.08.2018).