Bituminaria bituminosa

Asphalt clover ( Bituminaria bituminosa )

The asphalt clover ( Bituminaria bituminosa ), also called resin or pitch clover clover, is a perennial plant of the legume family ( Fabaceae ).

Features

The perennial plant with woody base is hairy, more or less appressed and reaches heights of growth from 20 to 100 cm. The whole plant smells strongly of tar ( hence the name). The smell intensifies when rubbed of leaves or stems.

The leaves are stalked three parts and long. The individual leaflets are 1-6 inches long and between 0.5 and 3 inches wide. They are entire, ovate to elliptic shape of dots and glandular.

The flowers are about 7 to 30 in dense up to 3.5 cm large capitula -shaped inflorescences. These axillary heads are stalked 10 to 30 cm long. There are two - to tridentate bracts at the base. The calyx is 12-18 mm long and hairy. The crown is blue - to schmutzigviolett, the banner longer than wings and keel.

Flowering time is from April to August.

Occurrence

The asphalt is clover throughout the Mediterranean, spreading from the Canary Islands and Madeira in the west to the Black Sea and Arabia to the east. Locations are roadsides, dry meadows, thickets and fallow and ruderal areas.