View source for Lotus

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Lotus
|accepted_authority=Linnaeus
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Sp. Pl.
|place=2: 773. 1753
|year=1753
}}
|common_names=Trefoil;lotier
|special_status={{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=I
|label=Introduced
}}
|basionyms=
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Fabaceae;Fabaceae subfam. Faboideae;Lotus
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Fabaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>subfamily</small>[[Fabaceae subfam. Faboideae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Lotus]]</div></div>
|etymology=Latin lotus, or Greek lotos, ancient name perhaps alluding to usefulness of a plant, applied to this taxon
|volume=Volume 11
|mention_page=
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Herbs,</b> annual or perennial, rarely suffrutescent, unarmed. <b>Stems</b> prostrate or decumbent to ascending or erect, glabrous or pubescent. <b>Leaves</b> alternate, odd-pinnate; stipules present, glandlike; petiolate; leaflets 5, proximal pair stipular in position, distal 3 ± palmate, blade margins entire, surfaces glabrous or pubescent. <b>Inflorescences</b> 1–15-flowered, axillary, umbels or solitary flowers; bracts present, 1–3-foliolate. <b>Flowers</b> papilionaceous; calyx symmetric, bell-shaped or short-cylindric, lobes 5; corolla yellow, usually marked with red, (4–)5–13(–18) mm, keel equaling or longer than symmetrically positioned wings; stamens 10, diadelphous; anthers dorsifixed; ovary sessile or ± stipitate; stigma without collar. <b>Fruits</b> legumes, persistent, exserted from calyx, sessile, straight, body not deflexed, linear to narrowly oblong or cylindric, subterete to quadrate, beak slender, dehiscent, leathery, glabrous. <b>Seeds</b> (5–)10–35, mottled or not, globose to oblong or round-oblong. <b>x</b> = 6.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=Eurasia;Africa;Atlantic Islands (Azores);Pacific Islands (New Caledonia;Vanuatu);Australia;introduced also nearly worldwide.
|introduced=true
|discussion=<p>Species ca. 125 (6 in the flora).</p><!--
--><p>Morphological and molecular analyses (G. J. Allan et al. 2003; G. V. Degtjareva et al. 2008) have shown that the Eurasian members of Lotus are distinct from the North American Acmispon and Hosackia. Therefore, Lotus is here defined in its strict sense. Lotus species have been introduced to North America as forage crops and for roadbank stabilization.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

--><div class="treatment-key">
==Key==
<div class="treatment-key-group">
  
{| class="wikitable fna-keytable"
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Herbs annual, hirsute.
|[[#key-0-2| > 2]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Calyx tubes villous; legumes 12–30 × 1–2 mm.
|[[Lotus angustissimus|Lotus angustissimus]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Calyx tubes hirsute; legumes 7–10 × 0.7–1.2 mm.
|[[Lotus subbiflorus|Lotus subbiflorus]]
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Herbs annual or perennial, glabrous, glabrate, or sparsely pilose to strigose.
|[[#key-0-3| > 3]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Inflorescences 1(or 2)[–4]-flowered.
|[[Lotus krylovii|Lotus krylovii]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Inflorescences (1–)3–15-flowered.
|[[#key-0-4| > 4]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Inflorescences (4–)5–15-flowered; calyx lobes spreading or recurved in bud; herbs with conspicuous rhizome; stems hollow, glabrate to sparsely pilose.
|[[Lotus uliginosus|Lotus uliginosus]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Inflorescences (1–)3–8(–10)-flowered; calyx lobes not recurved in bud; herbs taprooted (except rarely rhizomatous in L. corniculatus); stems solid, glabrous, glabrate, or sparsely pilose to strigose.
|[[#key-0-5| > 5]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Leaflet blade lengths 1.6–3(–4) times widths; flowers 10–17 mm.
|[[Lotus corniculatus|Lotus corniculatus]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Leaflet blade lengths (2.5–)3–5 times widths; flowers 7–10 mm.
|[[Lotus tenuis|Lotus tenuis]]
|}
</div></div><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Lotus
|author=Luc Brouillet
|authority=Linnaeus
|rank=genus
|parent rank=subfamily
|synonyms=
|basionyms=
|family=Fabaceae
|distribution=Eurasia;Africa;Atlantic Islands (Azores);Pacific Islands (New Caledonia;Vanuatu);Australia;introduced also nearly worldwide.
|introduced=true
|reference=None
|publication title=Sp. Pl.
|publication year=1753
|special status=Introduced
|source xml=https://bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation/src/master/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V11/V11_1127.xml
|subfamily=Fabaceae subfam. Faboideae
|genus=Lotus
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Fabaceae subfam. Faboideae]]