''Lotus'', a latinization of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

'' lōtos'' (), is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s that includes most bird's-foot trefoils (also known as bacon-and-eggs) and deervetches and contains many dozens of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

distributed worldwide. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. ''Lotus'' is a genus of

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...

s and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from coastal environments to high altitudes. The genus ''Lotus'' is currently undergoing extensive taxonomic revision. Species native to the Americas have been moved into other genera, such as '' Acmispon'' and ''

Hosackia ''Hosackia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is native to western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to Mexico. Taxonomy ''Hosackia'' belongs to a group of species traditionally placed in the tribe ...

'', as in the second edition of '' The Jepson Manual''. The aquatic plant commonly known as the Indian or sacred lotus is ''

Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ...

'', a species not closely related to ''Lotus''.

Description

Most species have

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

with five leaflets; two of these are at the extreme base of the leaf, with the other three at the tip of a naked midrib. This gives the appearance of a pair of large

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s below a " petiole" bearing a trefoil of three leaflets – in fact, the true stipules are minute, soon falling or withering. C. A. Stace, ''Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia'': ''Lotus''. .
Online version
) Some species have pinnate leaves with up to 15 leaflets. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are in clusters of three to ten together at the apex of a stem with some basal leafy

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

s; they are

pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

-flower shaped, usually vivid yellow, but occasionally orange or red. The seeds develop in three or four straight, strongly diverging pods, which together make a shape reminiscent of the diverging toes of a small bird, leading to the common name "bird's-foot".

Taxonomy

The genus ''Lotus'' is taxonomically complex. It has at times been divided into subgenera and split into segregate genera, but with no consistent consensus. P.H. Raven in 1971 is said to have been the first to suggest that the "New World" (American) and "Old World" (African and Eurasian) species did not belong in the same genus. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study in 2000 based on nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences confirmed this view. The New World species have been divided between the genera ''

'' s.str., '' Ottleya'', '' Acmispon'' and '' Syrmatium''. A 2006 study, primarily concerned with Old World ''Lotus'' species and hence with limited sampling of the American genera, found that they were all

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

. The study also supported the view that '' Dorycnium'' and '' Tetragonolobus'' are not distinct from ''Lotus'' at the generic level. More species were added to the 2006 results in 2008, but did not alter the broad conclusions reached before. Clades were identified within ''Lotus'' s.str., some of which were significantly different from the sections into which the genus had been divided. However, resolution was incomplete. The results of the analysis were presented in terms of clades and complexes.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Lotus'': *'' Lotus aduncus'' *'' Lotus aegaeus'' *'' Lotus alianus'' *'' Lotus alpinus'' - alpine bird's-foot-trefoil *'' Lotus anfractuosus'' *'' Lotus angustissimus'' – slender bird's-foot trefoil *'' Lotus arabicus'' *'' Lotus arenarius'' *'' Lotus argyrodes'' *'' Lotus arinagensis'' *'' Lotus assakensis'' *'' Lotus australis'' – austral trefoil *'' Lotus axilliflorus'' *'' Lotus becquetii'' *'' Lotus benoistii'' *'' Lotus berthelotii'' – Canary Islands trefoil *'' Lotus biflorus'' *'' Lotus borbasii'' *'' Lotus broussonetii'' *'' Lotus brunneri'' *'' Lotus burttii'' *'' Lotus callis-viridis'' *'' Lotus campylocladus'' *'' Lotus carpetanus'' *'' Lotus castellanus'' *'' Lotus chazaliei'' *'' Lotus compactus'' *'' Lotus conimbricensis'' *'' Lotus conjugatus'' *'' Lotus corniculatus'' – common bird's-foot trefoil, bird's-foot deervetch *'' Lotus creticus'' *'' Lotus cruentus'' *'' Lotus cytisoides'' *'' Lotus × davyae'' *'' Lotus discolor'' *'' Lotus divaricatus'' *'' Lotus dorycnium'' *'' Lotus drepanocarpus'' *'' Lotus dumetorum'' *'' Lotus edulis'' *'' Lotus emeroides'' *'' Lotus eremiticus'' *'' Lotus eriophthalmus'' *'' Lotus frondosus'' *'' Lotus fulgurans'' *'' Lotus garcinii'' *'' Lotus gebelia'' *'' Lotus germanicus'' *'' Lotus glacialis'' *'' Lotus glareosus'' *'' Lotus glaucus'' *'' Lotus glinoides'' *'' Lotus goetzei'' *'' Lotus gomerythus'' *'' Lotus graecus'' *'' Lotus halophilus'' *'' Lotus hebecarpus'' *'' Lotus hebranicus'' *'' Lotus herbaceus'' *'' Lotus hirsutus'' *'' Lotus holosericeus'' *''

Lotus jacobaeus ''Lotus jacobaeus'' is a species of flowering plant of the family Fabaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terrestre ...

'' *'' Lotus japonicus'' *'' Lotus jolyi'' *'' Lotus jordanii'' *'' Lotus krylovii'' *'' Lotus kunkelii'' *'' Lotus lalambensis'' *'' Lotus lancerottensis'' *'' Lotus lanuginosus'' *'' Lotus laricus'' *'' Lotus latidentatus'' *'' Lotus lebrunii'' *'' Lotus longisiliquosus'' *'' Lotus lourdes-santiagoi'' *'' Lotus loweanus'' *'' Lotus macranthus'' *'' Lotus maculatus'' *'' Lotus maritimus'' *'' Lotus maroccanus'' *'' Lotus mascaensis'' *'' Lotus × medioximus'' *'' Lotus michauxianus'' *'' Lotus × minoricensis'' *'' Lotus miyakojimae'' *'' Lotus mlanjeanus'' *'' Lotus mollis'' *'' Lotus namulensis'' *'' Lotus nubicus'' *'' Lotus oliveirae'' *'' Lotus ononopsis'' *'' Lotus ornithopodioides'' *'' Lotus palustris'' *'' Lotus parviflorus'' – smallflower bird's-foot trefoil, smallflower trefoil *'' Lotus peczoricus'' *'' Lotus pedunculatus'' – greater bird's-foot trefoil, marsh bird's-foot trefoil, large bird's-foot trefoil, big trefoil *'' Lotus peregrinus'' *'' Lotus polyphyllos'' *'' Lotus pseudocreticus'' *'' Lotus purpureus'' *'' Lotus pyranthus'' *'' Lotus quinatus'' *'' Lotus rechingeri'' *'' Lotus rectus'' *'' Lotus requienii'' *'' Lotus robsonii'' *'' Lotus sanguineus'' *'' Lotus schoelleri'' *'' Lotus sessilifolius'' *'' Lotus simoneae'' *'' Lotus spartioides'' *'' Lotus spectabilis'' *'' Lotus stepposus'' *'' Lotus strictus'' *'' Lotus subbiflorus'' – hairy bird's-foot trefoil *'' Lotus subdigitatus'' *'' Lotus taitungensis'' *'' Lotus tenellus'' (including ''Lotus leptophyllus'' (Lowe) K.Larsen) *''

Lotus tenuis ''Lotus tenuis'' is a flowering plant of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western and southern Europe and southwest Asia. Some botanists treat it as a subspecies of '' Lotus corniculatus'', as ''L. corniculatus'' subsp. ''tenuifolius''. Its ...

'' – narrowleaf trefoil, slender trefoil, creeping trefoil, or prostrate trefoil *''

Lotus tetragonolobus ''Lotus purpureus'', known as asparagus-pea or winged pea, is an annual leguminous herb native to the countries around the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin ...

'' *'' Lotus tetraphyllus'' *'' Lotus tibesticus'' *'' Lotus torulosus'' *'' Lotus × ucrainicus'' *'' Lotus villicarpus'' *'' Lotus weilleri'' *'' Lotus wildii'' *'' Lotus zemmouriensis''

Species placed elsewhere

*''Lotus aboriginus'' = '' Hosackia rosea'' *''Lotus argophyllus'' = '' Acmispon argophyllus'' *''Lotus argyraeus'' = '' Acmispon argyraeus'' *''Lotus benthamii'' = ''

Acmispon cytisoides ''Acmispon cytisoides'', synonyms ''Lotus benthamii'' and ''Syrmatium cytisoides'', is a species of legume native to California. It is known by the common names Bentham's broom and Bentham's deerweed. It is endemic to central California, where i ...

'' *''Lotus crassifolius'' = '' Hosackia crassifolia'' *''Lotus dendroideus'' = ''

Acmispon dendroideus ''Acmispon dendroideus'', synonym ''Syrmatium veatchii'', is a species of legume native to California. It is known by the common name island broom. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on coastal bluffs and cliffs. I ...

'' *''Lotus denticulatus'' = '' Acmispon denticulatus'' *''Lotus grandiflorus'' = '' Acmispon grandiflorus'' *''Lotus hamatus'' = '' Acmispon micranthus'' *''Lotus haydonii'' = ''

Acmispon haydonii ''Acmispon haydonii'', synonyms ''Lotus haydonii'' and ''Syrmatium haydonii'', is a species of legume native to California It is known by the common names pygmy lotus, rock bird's-foot trefoil and Haydon's lotus. It is native to the dry mountain ...

'' *''Lotus heermannii'' = '' Acmispon heermannii'' *''Lotus humistratus'' = '' Acmispon brachycarpus'' *''Lotus incanus'' = '' Hosackia incana'' *''Lotus junceus'' = ''

Acmispon junceus ''Acmispon junceus'', synonyms ''Lotus junceus'' and ''Syrmatium junceum'', is a species of legume native to California. It is known by the common names rush broom and rush deervetch. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the nort ...

'' *''Lotus mearnsii'' = '' Acmispon mearnsii'' *''Lotus micranthus'' = '' Acmispon parviflorus'' *''Lotus nevadensis'' = ''

Acmispon decumbens ''Acmispon decumbens'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the western United States (Nevada, California) and north-western Mexico (Baja California). It was first described by George Bentham in 1836 as ''Hosackia de ...

'' *''Lotus nuttallianus'' = ''

Acmispon prostratus ''Acmispon prostratus'', synonyms ''Lotus nuttallianus'' and ''Syrmatium prostratum'', is a species of legume native to California and northwestern Mexico. It is known by the common names beach lotus, Nuttall's lotus, and wire bird's-foot trefoi ...

'' *''Lotus oblongifolius'' = '' Hosackia oblongifolia'' *''Lotus pinnatus'' = '' Hosackia pinnata'' *''Lotus procumbens'' = ''

Acmispon procumbens ''Acmispon procumbens'', synonym ''Lotus procumbens'', is a species of legume endemic to California. It is known by the common name silky deerweed. It is known from many habitat types in several regions from the Central Valley to the Mojave De ...

'' *''Lotus rubriflorus'' = '' Acmispon rubriflorus'' *''Lotus salsuginosus'' = '' Acmispon maritimus'' *''Lotus stipularis'' = ''

Hosackia stipularis ''Hosackia stipularis'', synonym ''Lotus stipularis'', is a species of legume endemic to California. It is known by the common name balsam bird's-foot trefoil. It is found in most of the northern and central coastal and inland mountain ranges an ...

'' *''Lotus wrightii'' = '' Ottleya wrightii''

Uses and ecology

''Lotus'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species. Several species are cultivated for

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also use ...

, including '' L. corniculatus'', '' L. glaber'', and '' L. pedunculatus''. They can produce toxic cyanogenic glycosides which can be potentially toxic to

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

, but also produce

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

s, which are a beneficial anti-bloating compound. Species in this genus can fix

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

from the air courtesy of their

root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known a ...

s, making them useful as a

cover crop In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in ...

. The nodulating symbionts are ''

Bradyrhizobium ''Bradyrhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria, many of which fix nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is an important part of the nitrogen cycle. Plants cannot use atmospheric nitrogen (N2); they must use nitrogen compounds such as nitrate ...

'' and ''

Mesorhizobium ''Mesorhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria. At least one, the nitrogen fixing species, ''Mesorhizobium loti'', forms symbiotic root nodules with plants in the genus '' Lotus''. Strain MAFF303099 of ''M. japonicum'' has been ful ...

'' bacteria. Scientific research for crop improvement and understanding the general biology of the genus is focused on '' L. japonicus'', which is currently the subject of a

full genome sequencing Whole genome sequencing (WGS), also known as full genome sequencing, complete genome sequencing, or entire genome sequencing, is the process of determining the entirety, or nearly the entirety, of the DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a ...

project, and is considered a

model organism A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...

. Some species, such as '' L. berthelotii'' from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

, are grown as ornamental plants. ''L. corniculatus'' is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in some regions of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

References

External links

''Lotus'' species names
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q3645698 Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus