Lotus tenuis Willd.
Scarcely stoloniferous perennial; stems ± glabrous, ± solid, procumbent to ascending, woody at base. Lvs ± glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy, sessile; leaflets linear, linear-lanceolate to narrowly obovate, acute to acuminate, cuneate at base, (3)-5-15-(18) mm long, with inconspicuous lateral veins. Peduncles much > lvs, up to 90 mm long. Infl. (1)-2-4-(6)-flowered. Calyx ± glabrous or sparsely to moderately hairy; calyx teeth ± equal, narrowly triangular, < tube. Corolla yellow, sometimes tinged or wholly reddish orange, 9-12 mm long; keel strongly arched with a fairly long, often somewhat incurved beak. Pod straight, rounded, not winged, 15-35 × 1.5-3 mm; seeds c. 1.5 mm diam.
N.: Auckland City, Opotiki District, Palmerston North; S.: well-established in lowland mid-Canterbury, otherwise known from Molesworth, and Leith Valley (Dunedin).
Europe, Asia Minor, W. Asia, N. Africa 1957
Waste places and swampland, sometimes coastal.
FL Dec-Mar.
L. tenuis is sometimes treated as var. tenuifolius L. of L. corniculatus although the 2 are quite distinct in almost all regions where they occur together. The lack of distinct veins on the leaflets (Fig. 64) and the few-flowered heads distinguish L. tenuis from narrow-leaved forms of L. pedunculatus.
