''Erinacea anthyllis'', the blue broom, hedgehog plant, or rushy kidney vetch, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. The sole species in

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Erinacea'', it is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to stony mountainous places in the western Mediterranean, including the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

of France and Spain and Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is a dwarf, spiny,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

growing to a dome shape tall and wide. It has dense foliage, and lilac coloured pea-like flowers in late spring and early summer. The Latin

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''anthyllis'' highlights the plant's similarity to the related kidney vetch, ''

Anthyllis vulneraria ''Anthyllis vulneraria'', the common kidneyvetch, kidney vetch or woundwort is a medicinal plant native to Europe, northern Africa, and Western Asia. The name ''vulneraria'' means "wound healer". Description ''Anthyllis vulneraria'' reaches in ...

''.

Cultivation

''Erinacea anthyllis'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. It is best grown in sun, in sharply-drained

alkaline soil Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high Soil pH, pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable ...

which reproduces the limestone of its native habitat. Once established, it is extremely long-lived.

Gallery

File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - MONTSEC - IB-487 (Eriçó).jpg, Montsec de Rúbies, foothills of the Pyrenees File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - L'ALZINA-3.JPG, Close-up of flowers File:ERINACEA ANTHYLLIS - ROCA ALTA.JPG, Graell de Roca Alta,

Montsec The Montsec Range ( ; ) is a mountain system of the Pre-Pyrenees. Description The Serra del Montsec consists of a series of calcareous mountain ranges running roughly from east to west. The range system is about 40 km long and 186.96 s ...

References

Genisteae Flora of the Pyrenees Flora of Morocco Flora of Algeria Flora of Tunisia Garden plants of Europe Monotypic Fabaceae genera {{Faboideae-stub