About
Hedysarum microcalyx is a member of the genus Hedysarum in the pea family and produces the genus’s characteristic odd-pinnate leaves with entire leaflets. It bears pea-type flowers in racemes or heads and flowers in the UK from June to August. Petal colours across the genus range from pink and purplish to yellow or whitish. Fruit develops as a lomentum that breaks into single-seeded segments when ripe.
About the genus
Hedysarum (sweetvetch) is a genus of the botanical family Fabaceae, consisting of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbs found in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.
Wikipedia contributors, "Hedysarum", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Hedysarum
In the garden
Hedysarum microcalyx sits within the genus Hedysarum (sweetvetch) in the pea family, a group found across Asia, Europe, North Africa and North America. Plants in this genus display odd-pinnate leaves with entire leaflets and produce peduncled racemes or compact heads of pea-type flowers; petals in the genus may appear pink, purplish, yellow or whitish. In the UK this species flowers from June to August, offering a summer display of pea-flowers. Botanical details that help identify the genus include small bracts with bracteoles below the calyx, subequal calyx teeth and diadelphous stamens (9+1). The ovary contains multiple ovules and the fruit is a lomentum, whose segments are variously pubescent, bristly or smooth depending on species. Hedysarum species are also recorded as foodplants for the larvae of some Lepidoptera, for example Coleophora accordella, so they can contribute to invertebrate interest. Allow flower spikes to set seed if you want natural regeneration: mature lomenta split into single-seeded sections that can be sown. The combination of pinnate foliage, summer flowering and distinctive seedpods makes Hedysarum microcalyx straightforward to recognise in mixed herbaceous or meadow-style plantings.
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