Fabaceae
Ononis

Ononis rotundifolia L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 719 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Spain to E. Austria and Central Italy. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Kew Species Profiles

General Description
Round-leaved restharrow is a beautiful, dwarf shrub with large, pink, red-veined pea-flowers and round, toothed, sticky leaflets.

The pea-flowers have crimson veins, particularly on the standard petal. Two or three flowers are borne on a short stalk, which holds them clear of the leaves. Ononis fruticosa (shrubby restharrow) is similar in appearance, but has narrow leaflets.

Species Profile
Geography and distribution

Native to the western Mediterranean, from eastern Spain and France to eastern Austria and central Italy, where it is found at 700-1,800 m above sea level.

Description

Overview: A perennial shrub up to 50 cm tall.

Leaves: The leaves are divided into three leaflets, each of which is around 25 mm across, rounded, toothed and glandular. The terminal leaflet is borne on a 5 mm long stalk.

Flowers:  The flowering branches are around 3 cm long. The flowers are 16-20 mm long. The standard petal is pink, with darker veins. The keel petals are usually white.

Fruits: The fruit is a dark reddish, elongated, pod with silvery hairs.

Uses

Round-leaved restharrow is cultivated as an ornamental.

This species at Kew

Ononis rotundifolia is grown in the Plant Family Beds (bed number 38, Leguminosae) at Kew.

Pressed and dried specimens of Ononis rotundifolia are held in Kew's Herbarium, where they are available to researchers by appointment.

Distribution
Austria, France, Italy, Spain
Ecology
Scrub and rocky places on hills and mountains; usually on limestone.
Conservation
Not threatened.
Hazards

None known.

[KSP]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Ornamental.
[KSP]

Common Names

English
Round-leaved restharrow

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Species Profiles

    • Kew Species Profiles
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0