Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Ornithopus

Ornithopus, the bird's-foot, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes six species and one natural hybrid native to Europe, Macaronesia, the eastern Mediterranean, northwest Africa, and Iran, and from southern Brazil to northeastern Argentina in South America.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
170 w
Citations
3
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Ornithopus
Ornithopus perpusillus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Loteae
Genus: Ornithopus
L. (1753)
Species

See text

Synonyms1

Ornithopodium Mill. (1754)

Ornithopus, the bird's-foot,2 is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes six species and one natural hybrid native to Europe, Macaronesia, the eastern Mediterranean, northwest Africa, and Iran, and from southern Brazil to northeastern Argentina in South America.1

Appearance of the fruits which gave the name to the genus source ↗
  • Ornithopus × bardiei Jeanj.
  • Ornithopus compressus L. — yellow serradella
  • Ornithopus micranthus (Benth.) Arechav.
  • Ornithopus perpusillus L. — little white bird's foot
  • Ornithopus pinnatus (Mill.) Druce — orange bird's foot
  • Ornithopus sativus Brot. — serradella, common bird's foot
  • Ornithopus uncinatus Maire & Sam.
References

References

  1. Ornithopus L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. NRCS. "Ornithopus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 July 2015.
External links