Onobrychis montana

Perennial of the Fabaceae family, widespread in the mountainous massifs of central and southern Europe, from the Alps and the Pyrenees to the Carpathians and the Balkans. It colonizes high-altitude calcareous lawns, stabilized screes, sunny rockeries, and well-drained rocky slopes, generally between 1,000 and 2,500 meters.

It forms low, sprawling tufts, practically pressed to the ground, dense and branched, hardly exceeding 10 to 15 cm in height. The foliage is composed of small oval to elliptical leaflets, bright green, arranged in pinnate leaves that cover the ground in a regular and compact manner.

The papilionaceous flowers are of a very intense pink-magenta, streaked with darker veins on the standard, gathered in ovoid and tight spikes carried on peduncles that rise above the foliage. This bright and saturated shade, uncommon among alpine legumes, is one of the most immediately striking traits of the species. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally occurs in June-July.

Like all legumes, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen thanks to symbiotic root bacteria, which allows it to thrive on poor substrates. It is also a honey plant appreciated by bees.

In cultivation, it requires calcareous soil, perfectly drained, in full sun exposure. It does not tolerate excess stagnant moisture or heavy soils, and is suitable for rockeries, gravel gardens, and sunny walls.