Hippocrepis emerus

Hippocrepis emerus

Flowers of Hippocrepis emerus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Hippocrepis
Species:	H. emerus
Binomial name
*Hippocrepis emerus* (L.) Lassen
Synonyms
Emerus major Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8 n.º 1 (1768) Coronilla emerus L., Sp. Pl. 742 (1753) Emerus alpestris Scheele in Flora 27: 443 (1843) Emerus caesalpini Medik. in Vorles. Churpfälz. Phys.-Ökon. Ges. 2: 368 (1787) Coronilla florida Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 341 (1796), nom. illeg. Emerus fruticosus Hornem., Hort. Bot. Hafn. 695 (1815) Emerus hortensis Desv. in Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 4: 299 (1826)1

Hippocrepis emerus, the scorpion senna,^[1] is a species of perennial plant belonging to the genus Hippocrepis in the family Fabaceae.

Description

Hippocrepis emerus reaches on average 50–150 centimetres (20–59 in) of height, with a maximum of 200 centimetres (79 in). The plant has a lignified stem with green branches bearing five to nine leaflets. These leaves are glossy, obovate, and imparipinnate, with their maximum width being above the middle and often larger extremities. The pale yellow flowers are arranged in groups of 1 to 5, and measure 14–20 millimetres (0.55–0.79 in) long. The petals are "nailed", meaning they have a long handle ("nail") and a "plate". The nails of the petals are two to three times longer than the calyx. These plants are hermaphroditic and entomophilous, and their flowering period extends from April through July. Their legumes (seed pods) are oblong-cylindrical and 5–11 centimetres (2.0–4.3 in) long, with three to twelve segments.

Distribution

This plant occurs in northeastern Spain and in central Mediterranean countries up to northern Europe and to Asia Minor and Tunisia.

Habitat

These shrubs are usually found in wooded and bushy areas, on sunny, warm and dry slopes and around forest edges. They can be found at an altitude of 0–1,850 metres (0–6,070 ft).