Ornithopus pinnatus (Mill) Druce
Family: LEGUMINOSAE
Genus: Ornithopus
Province distribution: Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Girona.
Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca.
General distribution (Phytogeography): Mediterranean
IUCN Category: Least concern
Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Life-forms: Terophyte.
Habitats: Therophytic silicolous fields. Therophytics communities.
Characteristics: A small plant which lives exclusively in siliceous soils, generally of acid reaction. It has leaves with many leafleats, but one of them is terminal, therefore they are odd-pinnate leaves. The flowers are very small and can be found at the top of a long leaf-stalk, they ends by producing articulate, bowed pods which easily identify this species. In the same habitats we can find Ornithopus compressus, we will distinguish it because the inflorescence has a leaf just at the base, whereas Ornithopus pinnatus does not, and the fruit has a very different shape. Flowers in spring.