Family: legumes (Fabaceae)
Flowering time: May–September
Size: 30–120 cm
Habitat: dry meadows, among shrubs, light woodlands and along paths
Prostrate to creeping stem of painted trefoil (Coronilla varia or Securigera varia) is sparsely hairy or bare. The pinnate leaves of this herbaceous perennial have 5 to 20 pairs of leaflets, ranging from oblong-oval to lanceolate. Its dense inflorescences form at the top of long stalks, consisting of 10 to 20 pink-lilac and white short-peduncled flowers. The mature ribbed pods are four-angled, upright and slightly articulated. The plant is somewhat poisonous!
The painted trefoil thrives on poor soils on an alkaline substrate. It prefers sunny and warm locations. With the exception of the mountainous region in the northwest, it is widespread throughout Slovenia.
