Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 729 (1753).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Annual or perennial eglandular herbs; stems winged or wingless, often climbing by means of tendrils; leaves paripinnate or subdigitate, ending in a mucro or tendril (in S. Aust.), rarely reduced to a tendril or a grass-like phyllode; leaflets 1-8-paired (frequently 1-paired in S. Aust.), and usually distinctly parallel-veined; stipules entire or rarely toothed, without a nectariferous blotch, herbaceous; bract narrow, often caducous; bracteoles absent.

Flowers in axillary racemes or solitary and axillary; calyx campanulate, regular to bilabiate, gibbous or not; standard mostly broad, with a short claw; wings free or coherent to the keel; keel usually obtuse; stamens diadelphous (in S. Aust.) or monadelphous; upper stamen free or connate with the tube; anthers uniform; ovary subsessile or stipitate; style linear to spathulate, dorsally compressed, pubescent on the upper side, rarely glabrous, twisted or straight; stigma terminal or capitate.

Pod compressed, dehiscent or not, upper suture 2-winged or not, 2-many-seeded; seed subglobose or sometimes compressed, hilum often elongated, exarillate.

Distribution:  About 130 species, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, also South America and Africa, introduced intentionally to New Zealand and Australia. Most species occur in dry grassland or scrub or as ruderals (in Europe). (P. W. Ball (1968) Flora Europaea 2:136-143; Rechinger (1979) Flora Iranica 140:61-82.)

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Stem not winged; peduncles 0.5-1 cm long	L. sphaericus 2.
1. Stem winged at least in the upper part; peduncles 5-20 cm long
2. Racemes 2-15-flowered; calyx teeth unequal; stipules 30-60 mm long	L. latifolius 1.
2. Racemes 1-3-flowered; calyx teeth subequal; stipules 12-25 mm long	L. tingitanus 3.

Author: Not yet available