Index / Search / Lotus corniculatus
§1 Plant
Lotus corniculatus L.
vernacular bird's-foot trefoil — species · Fabaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Fabaceae Lindl.
- Genus
- Lotus
§2a
Native status, by region
- CAN Canada Introduced
- L48 Lower 48 States Introduced
- SPM St. Pierre & Miquelon Introduced
§2b
County-level range
· 621 counties across 38 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Medium
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- Medium
- Fire
- Low
- Salinity
- High
- Anaerobic
- Medium
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -43 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 90 min.
- Precipitation
- 16–65 in/yr
- pH range
- 5–8
- Root depth
- 14 in min.
- Fertility need
- Medium
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Single Crown
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 2.4 ft
- Foliage texture
- Fine
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Moderate
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- Medium
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Early Spring
- Seed abundance
- Medium
- Seed begins
- Spring
- Seed ends
- Summer
- Spread rate
- Slow
- Stratify
- No
- Seeds / lb
- 369,840
- Propagation
- seed
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- No
- Browse palatability
- High
- Graze palatability
- High
- Palatable, human
- No
- Protein potential
- High
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 621 counties across 38 states/territories.
Arizona view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 3 I ▾
California view state ↗ 34 I ▾
- Alameda 06001
- Butte 06007
- Calaveras 06009
- Colusa 06011
- Contra Costa 06013
- Glenn 06021
- Humboldt 06023
- Inyo 06027
- Kern 06029
- Lake 06033
- Lassen 06035
- Los Angeles 06037
- Marin 06041
- Mendocino 06045
- Merced 06047
- Monterey 06053
- Napa 06055
- Nevada 06057
- Plumas 06063
- Sacramento 06067
- San Diego 06073
- San Francisco 06075
- San Luis Obispo 06079
- San Mateo 06081
- Santa Barbara 06083
- Santa Clara 06085
- Shasta 06089
- Solano 06095
- Sonoma 06097
- Stanislaus 06099
- Sutter 06101
- Tehama 06103
- Ventura 06111
- Yolo 06113
Colorado view state ↗ 1 I ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Idaho view state ↗ 11 I ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 48 I ▾
- Boone 17007
- Brown 17009
- Carroll 17015
- Cass 17017
- Champaign 17019
- Clark 17023
- Coles 17029
- Cook 17031
- Crawford 17033
- DeKalb 17037
- Douglas 17041
- DuPage 17043
- Edgar 17045
- Fulton 17057
- Grundy 17063
- Hancock 17067
- Henderson 17071
- Iroquois 17075
- Jackson 17077
- Jersey 17083
- Jo Daviess 17085
- Johnson 17087
- Kane 17089
- Kankakee 17091
- Kendall 17093
- Knox 17095
- Lake 17097
- LaSalle 17099
- Lee 17103
- Logan 17107
- Macon 17115
- Madison 17119
- Mason 17125
- McDonough 17109
- McHenry 17111
- Mercer 17131
- Moultrie 17139
- Peoria 17143
- Perry 17145
- Piatt 17147
- Rock Island 17161
- Schuyler 17169
- Stephenson 17177
- Tazewell 17179
- Warren 17187
- White 17193
- Will 17197
- Williamson 17199
Indiana view state ↗ 9 I ▾
Iowa view state ↗ 7 I ▾
Kansas view state ↗ 8 I ▾
Kentucky view state ↗ 21 I ▾
Maine view state ↗ 7 I ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 12 I ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 29 I ▾
- Alpena 26007
- Baraga 26013
- Benzie 26019
- Berrien 26021
- Charlevoix 26029
- Cheboygan 26031
- Chippewa 26033
- Clinton 26037
- Delta 26041
- Eaton 26045
- Gogebic 26053
- Houghton 26061
- Ingham 26065
- Ionia 26067
- Jackson 26075
- Kalamazoo 26077
- Lapeer 26087
- Leelanau 26089
- Livingston 26093
- Mackinac 26097
- Montcalm 26117
- Newaygo 26123
- Ogemaw 26129
- Ottawa 26139
- Saginaw 26145
- Sanilac 26151
- Schoolcraft 26153
- Tuscola 26157
- Washtenaw 26161
Minnesota view state ↗ 39 I ▾
- Aitkin 27001
- Becker 27005
- Benton 27009
- Big Stone 27011
- Carver 27019
- Cass 27021
- Clay 27027
- Clearwater 27029
- Cook 27031
- Dakota 27037
- Dodge 27039
- Douglas 27041
- Faribault 27043
- Fillmore 27045
- Freeborn 27047
- Houston 27055
- Itasca 27061
- Kittson 27069
- Koochiching 27071
- Lac qui Parle 27073
- Lake 27075
- Lake of the Woods 27077
- Mahnomen 27087
- Martin 27091
- Mower 27099
- Norman 27107
- Olmsted 27109
- Pennington 27113
- Pine 27115
- Polk 27119
- Scott 27139
- Stearns 27145
- Steele 27147
- Traverse 27155
- Wabasha 27157
- Washington 27163
- Wilkin 27167
- Winona 27169
- Wright 27171
Missouri view state ↗ 39 I ▾
- Adair 29001
- Atchison 29005
- Audrain 29007
- Benton 29015
- Boone 29019
- Buchanan 29021
- Carroll 29033
- Cass 29037
- Clark 29045
- Clay 29047
- Clinton 29049
- Daviess 29061
- Grundy 29079
- Holt 29087
- Jackson 29095
- Jefferson 29099
- Johnson 29101
- Knox 29103
- Lafayette 29107
- Lewis 29111
- Lincoln 29113
- Linn 29115
- Livingston 29117
- Macon 29121
- Madison 29123
- Marion 29127
- Mercer 29129
- Newton 29145
- Pettis 29159
- Platte 29165
- Putnam 29171
- Ralls 29173
- Ray 29177
- Schuyler 29197
- Scotland 29199
- Shelby 29205
- St. Louis 29189
- Sullivan 29211
- Worth 29227
Montana view state ↗ 15 I ▾
Nebraska view state ↗ 15 I ▾
New Hampshire view state ↗ 6 I ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 14 I ▾
New Mexico view state ↗ 4 I ▾
New York view state ↗ 34 I ▾
- Albany 36001
- Allegany 36003
- Bronx 36005
- Cattaraugus 36009
- Chautauqua 36013
- Chemung 36015
- Columbia 36021
- Delaware 36025
- Erie 36029
- Greene 36039
- Kings 36047
- Livingston 36051
- Monroe 36055
- Nassau 36059
- New York 36061
- Oneida 36065
- Onondaga 36067
- Orange 36071
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Rensselaer 36083
- Richmond 36085
- Rockland 36087
- Saratoga 36091
- Schenectady 36093
- Schuyler 36097
- St. Lawrence 36089
- Suffolk 36103
- Tioga 36107
- Tompkins 36109
- Ulster 36111
- Warren 36113
- Wayne 36117
- Westchester 36119
North Carolina view state ↗ 1 I ▾
North Dakota view state ↗ 5 I ▾
Ohio view state ↗ 42 I ▾
- Adams 39001
- Ashland 39005
- Ashtabula 39007
- Athens 39009
- Belmont 39013
- Columbiana 39029
- Coshocton 39031
- Crawford 39033
- Cuyahoga 39035
- Erie 39043
- Fairfield 39045
- Franklin 39049
- Gallia 39053
- Geauga 39055
- Guernsey 39059
- Harrison 39067
- Holmes 39075
- Huron 39077
- Jackson 39079
- Jefferson 39081
- Knox 39083
- Lake 39085
- Lorain 39093
- Mahoning 39099
- Medina 39103
- Meigs 39105
- Morgan 39115
- Morrow 39117
- Ottawa 39123
- Perry 39127
- Pickaway 39129
- Pike 39131
- Portage 39133
- Ross 39141
- Seneca 39147
- Stark 39151
- Summit 39153
- Trumbull 39155
- Tuscarawas 39157
- Vinton 39163
- Washington 39167
- Wayne 39169
Oregon view state ↗ 27 I ▾
- Baker 41001
- Benton 41003
- Clackamas 41005
- Clatsop 41007
- Columbia 41009
- Coos 41011
- Curry 41015
- Douglas 41019
- Grant 41023
- Hood River 41027
- Jackson 41029
- Jefferson 41031
- Josephine 41033
- Klamath 41035
- Lake 41037
- Lane 41039
- Lincoln 41041
- Linn 41043
- Malheur 41045
- Marion 41047
- Multnomah 41051
- Polk 41053
- Tillamook 41057
- Umatilla 41059
- Union 41061
- Wallowa 41063
- Washington 41067
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 43 I ▾
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bradford 42015
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cameron 42023
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clearfield 42033
- Clinton 42035
- Crawford 42039
- Cumberland 42041
- Elk 42047
- Erie 42049
- Fulton 42057
- Indiana 42063
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- McKean 42083
- Mercer 42085
- Mifflin 42087
- Montgomery 42091
- Northampton 42095
- Philadelphia 42101
- Potter 42105
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Susquehanna 42115
- Tioga 42117
- Union 42119
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- Westmoreland 42129
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 4 I ▾
South Dakota view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Tennessee view state ↗ 10 I ▾
Texas view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Utah view state ↗ 7 I ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 12 I ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 29 I ▾
- Albemarle 51003
- Amherst 51009
- Augusta 51015
- Bedford 51019
- Campbell 51031
- Charlotte 51037
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Cumberland 51049
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Henrico 51087
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- Lee 51105
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- Newport News (city) 51700
- Northampton 51131
- Powhatan 51145
- Rockingham 51165
- Shenandoah 51171
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- Wise 51195
- York 51199
Washington view state ↗ 19 I ▾
West Virginia view state ↗ 11 I ▾
Wisconsin view state ↗ 41 I ▾
- Ashland 55003
- Barron 55005
- Bayfield 55007
- Brown 55009
- Buffalo 55011
- Burnett 55013
- Clark 55019
- Columbia 55021
- Crawford 55023
- Dane 55025
- Door 55029
- Forest 55041
- Green 55045
- Iron 55051
- Jefferson 55055
- Kenosha 55059
- Manitowoc 55071
- Marinette 55075
- Marquette 55077
- Menominee 55078
- Monroe 55081
- Oconto 55083
- Oneida 55085
- Outagamie 55087
- Pierce 55093
- Racine 55101
- Richland 55103
- Rock 55105
- Sawyer 55113
- Shawano 55115
- Sheboygan 55117
- Taylor 55119
- Trempealeau 55121
- Vernon 55123
- Vilas 55125
- Walworth 55127
- Washburn 55129
- Washington 55131
- Waukesha 55133
- Waushara 55137
- Winnebago 55139
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/LOCO6 ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/5357013 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T20:46:58Z