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Onobrychis viciifolia

Common name:	Sainfoin	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	Scop.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Onobrychis sativa (Lam.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from France south and east to Spain, Siberia, Caucasus and Iran.
Habitat:	Grassland on chalk and limestone[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hedysarum onobrychis[G,P] O. viciaefolia[E,P] O. vicifolia[HORTIPLEX] O. vulgaris[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cockshead [E], Esparcette [D], Pipirigallo [E], Sainfoin [L,B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	viciifolia = Vicia (vetch) leaved;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe; Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant not is self-fertile. It can fix Nitrogen. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Meadow.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

One report says that the plant is edible[20], but does not say what part of the plant is used.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Soil conditioner; Soil stabilization.

A good soil conditioner for poor light soils[115]. The plants can be grown on the land for a number of years, the deep tap roots breaking up the sub-soil and bringing up minerals from below. Plants can be cut during the growing season but care must be taken not to cut too low because the tap root tends to rise above ground level and the plant can be killed if this is cut off[115].
The plant has an extensive root system and is useful for stabilizing soils[160, 200].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained neutral to alkaline sandy loam in full sun[1, 200]. Succeeds in poor soils[115] and in shallow soils over chalk[200]. Dislikes shade. Does not succeed in wet soils[115].
A good border plant for the vegetable garden[18, 20], the deep tap root helps to break up the sub-soil[115].
Plants are resistant to alfalfa stem nematodes[160] and are immune to bacterial wilt disease and attacks by the alfalfa stem weevil[160].
A good bee plant[200].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in situ in the spring[1, 200]. Seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn.
If seed is in short supply then it might be wiser to sow it in pots in a cold frame in early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in the spring just before new growth commences[200]. Large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[FAO] Data (Description, Habitat, Location and Use) from the FAO's Grassland Index.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Onobrychis viciaefolia (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Onobrychis vicifolia (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.