Anthyllis vulneraria
L. Kidney VetchProstrate, ascending or erect perennial herb to 70 cm high, pubescent. Leaves imparipinnate, lowermost leaves often reduced to the terminal leaflet; leaflets 1–15, lanceolate, ovate or elliptic, obtuse to acute; terminal leaflet mostly 1.5–3.2 cm long, 2–9 mm wide. Inflorescence a many-flowered head, to c. 4 cm diam., subtended by 2 palmatisect bracts; peduncle 3–15 cm long; calyx campanulate, constricted at the apex, 8–10 mm long, densely white-pubescent, lobes unequal, shorter than tube; corolla 12–15 mm long, yellow to orange or red; standard broadly elliptic; wings obovate; keel acute. Pod subglobose, c. 3 mm long, compressed, glabrous, brown; seeds 1–2, ellipsoid, c. 2 mm long, smooth. Flowers Nov.–Jan. (2 records).
Native to Europe and northern Africa, recorded as naturalised in Victoria by Ewart (1931) on the basis of 2 records, Lilydale (1912) and Dargo (1922). There are no recent records from these or other locations in Victoria so it must be assumed that it has not persisted.
A highly variable species with numerous subspecies and varieties. No attempt has been made to determine the identity of Victorian records at infraspecific rank due to the absence of recent observations.
Spinning