''Lotus australis'', known by its common name of austral trefoil, is a small, spreading herb from the family
Fabaceae
Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,[International Code of Nomen ...](_blank)
. It normally grows to around 30–50 cm in height and is native to
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 ...
.
Leaves are of a trifoliate shape and are small, with a light green colour. During
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...
, the plant bursts into beautiful massed displays of white pea flowers. In
summer
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
, these are replaced with stiff, tubular beans, which explode when they dry, releasing multiple small, black
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 ...
seeds. Austral trefoil is easily
propagated from these seeds, by soaking the seeds in hot water overnight before sowing. This mimics the heat of a bushfire, which is a contributing factor in
germination
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...
in the wild.
''Lotus australis'' is one of just a few plants in which the
cyanogenic
In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.
Salt (chemistry), Ionic cyanides contain the cyanid ...
glucoside
A glucoside is a glycoside that is chemically derived from glucose. Glucosides are common in plants, but rare in animals. Glucose is produced when a glucoside is hydrolysed by purely chemical means, or decomposed by fermentation or enzymes.
Th ...
known as
lotaustralin
Lotaustralin is a cyanogenic glucoside found in small amounts in Fabaceae austral trefoil (''Lotus australis''), cassava (''Manihot esculenta''), lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), roseroot (''Rhodiola rosea'') and white clover (''Trifolium rep ...
naturally occurs.
Gallery
Image:Lotus australis 1 habit.jpg, Habitat
Image:Lotus australis - flower head 2.jpg, Inflorescence
References
australis
Flora of Australia
Taxa named by Henry Cranke Andrews
{{Loteae-stub