Ononis natrix, commonly known as yellow restharrow or shrubby rest-harrow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae (the legume, pea, or bean family).
Description
It is a perennial subshrub or shrub, typically growing 50–100 cm tall, ligneous (woody) at the base, and entirely covered in viscous-glandular hairs. The leaves are composed of three oblong, denticulate (finely toothed) leaflets. The flowers are borne in terminal leafy racemes on long, one-flowered peduncles, which are often aristate (bearing a bristle-like appendage). The calyx lobes are much longer than the tube. The corolla is yellow, approximately 15 mm long (about twice the length of the calyx), with the standard petal marked by red-brown striations (veins).
Flowering Period
April to July.
Habitat
Sandy and stony places, typically on limestone substrates.
Distribution
The species has a circum-Mediterranean distribution. Its native range extends from the Canary Islands and Western Sahara, through Central Europe and the Mediterranean region, including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and other circum-Mediterranean areas.
Taxonomy and Etymology
The species was described by Carl Linnaeus (denoted by the authority "L."). The genus name Ononis (also Onônis or Anônis) is the Greek name for a Mediterranean species in this genus, sometimes interpreted as derived from onos (donkey) and onesis (happiness), referencing the belief that certain rest-harrows were pleasing to donkeys. The specific epithet natrix is the Latin name for a water snake, given to the plant in reference to the ciliated antherozoids (sperm cells) discharged from the pollen tube, which swim like a water snake before entering the embryo sac.
Subspecies
Several subspecies are recognized, including:
- Ononis natrix subsp. arganietorum (Maire) Širj.
- Ononis natrix subsp. hesperia Maire
- Ononis natrix subsp. hispanica (L.f.) Cout.
- Ononis natrix subsp. natrix
- Ononis natrix subsp. prostrata (Braun-Blanq. & Wilczek) Širj.
- Ononis natrix subsp. stenophylla (Boiss.) Širj.
Uses
According to regional sources, the branches of this plant (known in Arabic as lissayq) are used in the preparation of raisins. Recent research has also investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer potential of Ononis natrix extracts.
