Ononis spinosa L. subsp. antiquorum (L.) Arcang.

Spice Flower In the field

Family: LEGUMINOSAE

Genus: Ononis

Catalan common name: Abriüll. Adragull. Adruls. Balomaga. Bornaga. Cadells. Dent de bou. Gatunha. Ugons.

Spanish common name: Abreojos. Balomaca. Gatillas. Gatuña. Goldarran. Grumuaca. Hierba toro. Pie de asno. Uña de gato.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Holoartica

Uses and properties: Medicinal.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones.

Characteristics: Small spiny shrub that lives along the borders of roads and herblands. Flowers are rose coloured, with trifoliolate leaves with dentate margins, which make them very easy to indentify. Subspecies antiquorum has flowers that are overall much shorter than 15mm, and the legume has only one seed. The more common subspeciues has larger flowers and the legume has more than two leaves, although there are transitions in form between the two species.