Lotus corniculatus var crassifolia

Lotus corniculatus — Fabaceae. Perennial with a woody base, widespread throughout Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa, where it colonizes dry meadows, lean lawns, roadsides, and coastal cliffs, from sea level to over 2,000 meters in the mountains.

The form presented here corresponds to what former authors referred to as var. crassifolia, a taxon not retained today but which well describes an observable reality: plants collected in coastal environments, with shorter and denser stems, and especially with leaflets that are significantly thicker, fleshy, and glaucous than in inland populations. This characteristic, clearly visible on the bluish-green and compact foliage, is an adaptation to wind exposure and sea spray.

The plant forms a dense, spreading cushion, rarely above 10 to 15 cm. The papilionaceous flowers, grouped in umbels of 3 to 6, are bright yellow to yellow-orange, with the wings and standard often washed with orange to brick-red as they age — this mix of warm tones simultaneously present on the same umbel is one of the plant's most striking attractions in bloom. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to August depending on altitude and exposure; in cultivation, it can begin as early as April and continue into September.

It requires full sun and well-drained soil, poor to moderately fertile. It tolerates drought and is perfectly suited to rock gardens, walls, and alpine troughs.