''Lotus'', a latinization of

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

'' lōtos'' (), is a

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 ...

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 ...

s that includes most bird's-foot trefoils (also known as bacon-and-eggs) and deervetches. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 species are accepted, all

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

s; American species formerly placed in the genus have been transferred to other genera. ''Lotus'' species are found in the Eastern Hemisphere and adapted to a wide range of habitats. The aquatic plant commonly known as the Indian or sacred lotus is ''

Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...

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

Description

Most species have

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

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 (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

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 Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

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, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s; they are pea-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 Western species have been divided between the genera '' Hosackia'' s.str., '' Ottleya'', '' Acmispon'' and '' Syrmatium''. A 2006 study, primarily concerned with Eastern ''Lotus'' species and hence with limited sampling of the American genera, found that they were all

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

. 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 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'' – narrowleaf trefoil, slender trefoil, creeping trefoil, or prostrate trefoil *'' Lotus tetragonolobus'' *'' 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'' *''Lotus crassifolius'' = '' Hosackia crassifolia'' *''Lotus dendroideus'' = '' Acmispon dendroideus'' *''Lotus denticulatus'' = '' Acmispon denticulatus'' *''Lotus grandiflorus'' = '' Acmispon grandiflorus'' *''Lotus hamatus'' = '' Acmispon micranthus'' *''Lotus haydonii'' = '' Acmispon haydonii'' *''Lotus heermannii'' = '' Acmispon tomentosus'' var. ''glabriusculus'' *''Lotus humistratus'' = '' Acmispon brachycarpus'' *''Lotus incanus'' = '' Hosackia incana'' *''Lotus junceus'' = '' Acmispon junceus'' *''Lotus mearnsii'' = '' Acmispon mearnsii'' *''Lotus micranthus'' = '' Acmispon parviflorus'' *''Lotus nevadensis'' = '' Acmispon decumbens'' *''Lotus nuttallianus'' = '' Acmispon prostratus'' *''Lotus oblongifolius'' = '' Hosackia oblongifolia'' *''Lotus pinnatus'' = '' Hosackia pinnata'' *''Lotus procumbens'' = '' Acmispon procumbens'' *''Lotus rubriflorus'' = '' Acmispon rubriflorus'' *''Lotus salsuginosus'' = '' Acmispon maritimus'' *''Lotus stipularis'' = '' Hosackia stipularis'' *''Lotus wrightii'' = '' Ottleya wrightii''

Distribution and habitat

The genus contains many dozens of species distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere, including Africa, Europe, western, southern, and eastern Asia, and Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. They are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from coastal environments to high elevations.

Ecology

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

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species. ''L. corniculatus'' is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

in some regions of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Uses

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 used m ...

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

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

, but also produce

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

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

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

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 ...

s, making them useful as a cover crop. The nodulating

symbiont Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

s are '' Bradyrhizobium'' and '' Mesorhizobium'' 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 or just genome sequencing, is the process of determining the entirety of the DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a single time. This entails sequencing all of an organism's ...

project, and is considered a

model organism A model organism 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 workings of other organisms. Mo ...

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

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, are grown as ornamental plants.

References

External links

''Lotus'' species names
{{Authority control Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus