Family: legumes (Fabaceae)
Flowering time: May–August
Size: 30–70 cm
Habitat: meadows, road verges and river alluvium
The upright stem of common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is leafy with pinnate leaves with 6 to 12 pairs of leaflets. They are generally 15 to 25 mm long and 4 to 7 mm wide. At the tip of the long peduncle develops a dense-flowered inflorescence, which is oval before flowering, then lengthens. During flowering it is 1.5 to 3 cm wide. It is formed by numerous short-pedunculated pink flowers, decorated with darker veins. The corolla is 10 to 14 mm long. The bracts of the flowers are 3.5 to 4 mm long, barely shorter than the calyx, but clearly longer than the floral pedicels. The protruding calyx teeth are two- to three-times longer than the calyx tube. The oval pods are 6 to 8 mm long, with 6 to 8 spines along the edge, up to 1 mm long.
Common sainfoin grows on barren dry soils with a moderate amount of humus on an alkaline base. It prefers warm, sunny locations. In Pomurje, in the high mountains and in the Dinarides it is not present here or is very rare; elsewhere in Slovenia it is relatively common at suitable habitats.
