Ornithopus sativus

Common birdsfoot, Common Birdsfoot

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Common birdsfoot is a naturalized annual found in the central coastal region of Santa Cruz County in grasslands and disturbed areas at elevations of 150 to 200 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces white or pink flowers in delicate clusters. Growing with hairy stems up to 30 centimeters tall, it spreads in loose, sprawling formations. Its compound leaves feature small ovate to lanceolate leaflets arranged in a distinctive pinnate pattern. The fruit develops as an elongated oblong pod reaching 1 to 4 centimeters in length.

Habitat: Grassland, disturbed areas

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 150-200 m

Bioregions: CCo (Santa Cruz Co.)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.