Family: legumes (Fabaceae)
Flowering time: June–September
Size: 30–60 cm
Habitat: open and dry meadows and pastures
The common restharrow (Ononis spinosa) is a branched shrub with stiff, protruding branches bearing strong thorns. Sparse glandular hairs are scattered on its trifoliate leaves. Narrow, coarsely toothed leaflets are at the top sharpened or rounded, never lobed (concave); they are 5 to 15 mm long. Flowers with a pink corolla are 1 to 1.5 cm long. They develop singly in the leaflets of the cauline leaves or a few together at the tip of the shoots. The calyx is covered with glandular hairs, the remaining hairs on the calyx are sparse or absent. Mature pods in the common restharrow are longer than the calyx. The common restharrow grows on barren dry soils in sunny sites throughout Slovenia.
The underground parts of the plant contain medicinal compounds that help relieve problems with the excretory system, with the digestive system, metabolism and joints.
