Birds-foot Trefoil

Birds-foot Trefoil
Birds-foot Trefoil. Lotus corniculatus.
Fabaceae, the pea, bean, or legume family.

Description:
Plant: Low, often prostrate or creeping plant, highly branched, extending to 12" or more, with clover-like leaves and pealike yellow flowers in small clusters. Perennial
Flowers: Yellow, classic pea-shape, with bilateral symmetry, about 1/2", in small terminal clusters (technically umbels). Sometimes turning orange with age or dry conditions.
Leaves: Opposite, compound, with three obovate, 1/2" leaflets and two small leaflike stipules at the base of the stem.
Fruit: Elongated pods, about 1", in splayed clusters of 3-7, resembling a bird's foot.
Blooming: June-September
Habitat: Lawns, fields.

Comments: Introduced from Europe, this clover relative often forms bright yellow patches in lawns and adjacent to pavement. It is often considered a weed. The common name comes from the arrangement of the seed pods, which resembles a bird's foot.

Where to find it: Common in lawns in the park.