Trifolium ornithopodioides aka Bird Foot Clover

Trifolium ornithopodioides belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. Its common names include bird's foot clover and bird's bill. An older scientific name is Trigonella ornithopodioides. Its native range spans Madeira, Europe, the Aegean islands, and northwest Africa. The RHS confirms it grows wild in Britain and Ireland. Kew places it within the temperate climate zone.

Plants For A Future describes an annual or perennial plant. It gives a height of about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres]. The supplied sources give no mature spread or detailed leaf description. They also give no species-level account of stems or fruit. Flowers appear from May to September, according to Plants For A Future. Each flower has both male and female organs. Bees pollinate the flowers. Root nodules house bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air. The plant uses some of that nitrogen for growth.

Grow this species in full sun, rather than shade. Plants For A Future recommends moist soil with good drainage. It accepts sandy, loamy, and clay soils, including poor ground. It also tolerates mildly acid through mildly alkaline conditions. Near-neutral soil is the stated cultivation preference. The source records a preference for moist or wet ground. Yet it also lists dry, sandy sites in southern England. Many of those sites lie near the coast. Its wild habitats can be wet during winter. It tolerates exposure to sea winds.

Plants For A Future lists cultivated beds and bog gardens as settings. It also identifies nitrogen fixation as a useful trait. The source does not flag this species as weedy. It warns that the plant can harbour a mite. That mite can cause gooseberries to shed fruit. It can also make camellias form buds too soon. The source therefore advises keeping it away from those plants. For propagation, soak seeds in warm water for 12 hours. Sow them where they will grow in spring. Another option is sowing in pots within a cold frame.

The leaves have a recorded food use, raw or cooked. Dried leaves have a coumarin scent. They have been proposed as a substitute for fenugreek. Plants For A Future gives the plant a low food-use rating. It records no known medicinal uses and no known hazards. That hazard statement does not establish safety for every person or pet.