Onobrychis viciifolia
Encyclopedia
Onobrychis viciifolia is a species of legume
known by the common name sainfoin; other species in genus Onobrychis
may be known by this name as well. Other common names for this species include esparcet and pipirigallo. This is a perennial herb which is native to Eurasia, but it is widely cultivated worldwide as an animal forage
and fodder
. It is also used to attract honeybees.
The plant grows up to about 80 centimeters in maximum height with an erect, hollow stem. It produces tall, showy spikelike raceme
s of pink pealike flowers each about a centimeter long. The leaves are divided into pairs of red-dotted green oval leaflets up to 2.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a net-textured, leathery legume pod 6 or 7 millimeters long containing one seed.
Common cultivar
s of this agricultural crop plant include 'Melrose', 'Othello', 'Vala', and 'Zeus'. It is grown for grazing, hay
, and silage
, as it is relatively high in protein and most minerals. Its tannin
content has also been shown to reduce the nematode
load in the guts of lambs
. Planting it alongside timothy, wheatgrass
, and other grasses reduces weed invasion. Like other legumes this plant fixes nitrogen
, but generally less efficiently than does alfalfa
. The plant is favored by honeybees and other pollinator
s because it produces large amounts of nectar and pollen
.
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
known by the common name sainfoin; other species in genus Onobrychis
Sainfoin
Onobrychis, the Sainfoins, are Eurasian perennial herbs of the legume family . Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known...
may be known by this name as well. Other common names for this species include esparcet and pipirigallo. This is a perennial herb which is native to Eurasia, but it is widely cultivated worldwide as an animal forage
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
and fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
. It is also used to attract honeybees.
The plant grows up to about 80 centimeters in maximum height with an erect, hollow stem. It produces tall, showy spikelike raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of pink pealike flowers each about a centimeter long. The leaves are divided into pairs of red-dotted green oval leaflets up to 2.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a net-textured, leathery legume pod 6 or 7 millimeters long containing one seed.
Common cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of this agricultural crop plant include 'Melrose', 'Othello', 'Vala', and 'Zeus'. It is grown for grazing, hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, and silage
Silage
Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters. It is fermented and stored in a process called ensiling or silaging, and is usually made from grass crops, including corn , sorghum or other cereals, using the entire...
, as it is relatively high in protein and most minerals. Its tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
content has also been shown to reduce the nematode
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
load in the guts of lambs
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
. Planting it alongside timothy, wheatgrass
Agropyron
Agropyron is a genus of grasses , native to Europe and Asia. Species in the genus are commonly referred to as crested-wheat grasses...
, and other grasses reduces weed invasion. Like other legumes this plant fixes nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
, but generally less efficiently than does alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
. The plant is favored by honeybees and other pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s because it produces large amounts of nectar and pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
.