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Lotus
	bird's-foot trefoil; Lotus corniculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Clade:	Robinioids
Tribe:	Loteae
Genus:	Lotus; L.
Type species
	Lotus corniculatus; L.
Species
	Between 70–150; see text
Synonyms
	List Andaca Raf.; Benedictella Maire; Bonjeanea Rchb.; Dorycnium Mill.; Flundula Raf.; Heinekenia Webb ex Christ; Krokeria Moench; Lotea Medik.; Lotulus Raf.; Miediega Bubani; Mullaghera Bubani; Ortholotus Fourr.; Pedrosia Lowe; Scandalida Adans.; Tetragonolobus Scop.;

Lotus, a latinization of Greek lōtos (λωτός),^[2] is a genus of flowering plants that includes most bird's-foot trefoils (also known as bacon-and-eggs^[3]) and deervetches^[4] and contains many dozens of species distributed in the eastern hemisphere, including Africa, Europe, western, southern, and eastern Asia, and Australia and New Guinea.^[1] Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. Lotus is a genus of legumes and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from coastal environments to high elevations.

The genus Lotus is currently undergoing extensive taxonomic revision. Species native to the Americas have been moved into other genera, such as Acmispon and Hosackia, as in the second edition of The Jepson Manual.

The aquatic plant commonly known as the Indian or sacred lotus is Nelumbo nucifera, a species not closely related to Lotus.

Description

Most species have leaves with five leaflets; two of these are at the extreme base of the leaf, with the other three at the tip of a naked midrib. This gives the appearance of a pair of large stipules below a "petiole" bearing a trefoil of three leaflets – in fact, the true stipules are minute, soon falling or withering.^[5] Some species have pinnate leaves with up to 15 leaflets. The flowers are in clusters of three to ten together at the apex of a stem with some basal leafy bracts; they are pea-flower shaped, usually vivid yellow, but occasionally orange or red. The seeds develop in three or four straight, strongly diverging pods, which together make a shape reminiscent of the diverging toes of a small bird, leading to the common name "bird's-foot".

Taxonomy

The genus Lotus is taxonomically complex. It has at times been divided into subgenera and split into segregate genera, but with no consistent consensus. P.H. Raven in 1971 is said to have been the first to suggest that the "New World" (American) and "Old World" (African and Eurasian) species did not belong in the same genus. A molecular phylogenetic study in 2000 based on nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences confirmed this view.^[6] The New World species have been divided between the genera Hosackia s.str., Ottleya, Acmispon and Syrmatium. A 2006 study, primarily concerned with Old World Lotus species and hence with limited sampling of the American genera, found that they were all monophyletic. The study also supported the view that Dorycnium and Tetragonolobus are not distinct from Lotus at the generic level.^[7] More species were added to the 2006 results in 2008, but did not alter the broad conclusions reached before. Clades were identified within Lotus s.str., some of which were significantly different from the sections into which the genus had been divided. However, resolution was incomplete. The results of the analysis were presented in terms of clades and complexes.^[8]

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Lotus:^[1]

Lotus aduncus (Griseb.) Nyman
Lotus aegaeus (Griseb.) Boiss.
Lotus alianus J.H.Kirkbr.
Lotus alpinus (Ser.) Schleich. ex Ramond - alpine bird's-foot-trefoil
Lotus anfractuosus (Baker f.) Kramina & D.D.Sokoloff
Lotus angustissimus L. – slender bird's-foot trefoil
Lotus arabicus Sol. ex L.
Lotus arenarius Brot.
Lotus argyrodes R.P.Murray
Lotus arinagensis Bramwell
Lotus assakensis Coss. ex Brand
Lotus australis Andrews – austral trefoil
Lotus axilliflorus (Hub.-Mor.) D.D.Sokoloff
Lotus becquetii Boutique
Lotus benoistii (Maire) Lassen
Lotus berthelotii Masf. – Canary Islands trefoil
Lotus biflorus Desr.
Lotus borbasii Ujhelyi
Lotus broussonetii Choisy ex Ser.
Lotus brunneri Webb
Lotus burttii Borsos
Lotus callis-viridis Bramwell & D.H.Davis
Lotus campylocladus Webb & Berthel.
Lotus carpetanus Lacaita
Lotus castellanus Boiss. & Reut.
Lotus chazaliei H.Boissieu
Lotus compactus Chrtková
Lotus conimbricensis Brot.
Lotus conjugatus L.
Lotus corniculatus L. – common bird's-foot trefoil, bird's-foot deervetch
Lotus creticus L.
Lotus cruentus Court
Lotus cytisoides L.
Lotus × davyae Druce
Lotus discolor E.Mey.
Lotus divaricatus Boiss.
Lotus dorycnium L.
Lotus drepanocarpus Durieu
Lotus dumetorum Webb ex R.P.Murray
Lotus edulis L.
Lotus emeroides R.P.Murray
Lotus eremiticus A.Santos
Lotus eriophthalmus Webb & Berthel.
Lotus frondosus (Freyn) Kuprian.
Lotus fulgurans (Porta) D.D.Sokoloff
Lotus garcinii Ser.
Lotus gebelia Vent.
Lotus germanicus (Gremli) Peruzzi
Lotus glacialis (Boiss.) Pau
Lotus glareosus Boiss. & Reut.
Lotus glaucus Aiton
Lotus glinoides Delile
Lotus goetzei Harms
Lotus gomerythus A.Portero, J.Martín-Carbajal & R.Mesa
Lotus graecus L.
Lotus halophilus Boiss. & Spruner
Lotus hebecarpus J.B.Gillett
Lotus hebranicus Hochst. ex Brand
Lotus herbaceus (Vill.) Jauzein
Lotus hirsutus L.
Lotus holosericeus Webb & Berthel.
Lotus jacobaeus L.
Lotus japonicus (Regel) K.Larsen
Lotus jolyi Batt.
Lotus jordanii (Loret & Barrandon) Coulot, Rabaute & J.-M.Tison
Lotus krylovii Schischk. & Serg.
Lotus kunkelii (Esteve) Bramwell & D.H.Davis
Lotus lalambensis Schweinf.
Lotus lancerottensis Webb & Berthel.
Lotus lanuginosus Vent.
Lotus laricus Rech.f., Aellen & Esfand.
Lotus latidentatus Elenevsky
Lotus lebrunii Boutique
Lotus longisiliquosus R.Roem.
Lotus lourdes-santiagoi Pina & Valdés
Lotus loweanus Webb & Berthel.
Lotus macranthus Lowe
Lotus maculatus Breitf.
Lotus maritimus L.
Lotus maroccanus Ball
Lotus mascaensis Burchard
Lotus × medioximus Husn.
Lotus michauxianus Ser.
Lotus × minoricensis M.À.Conesa, Mus & Rosselló
Lotus miyakojimae Kramina
Lotus mlanjeanus J.B.Gillett
Lotus mollis Balf.f.
Lotus namulensis Brand
Lotus nubicus Hochst. ex Baker
Lotus oliveirae A.Chev.
Lotus ononopsis Balf.f.
Lotus ornithopodioides L.
Lotus palustris Willd.
Lotus parviflorus Desf. – smallflower bird's-foot trefoil, smallflower trefoil
Lotus peczoricus Miniaev & Ulle
Lotus pedunculatus Cav. – greater bird's-foot trefoil, marsh bird's-foot trefoil, large bird's-foot trefoil, big trefoil
Lotus peregrinus L.
Lotus polyphyllos E.D.Clarke
Lotus pseudocreticus Maire, Weiller & Wilczek
Lotus purpureus Webb
Lotus pyranthus P.Pérez
Lotus quinatus (Forssk.) J.B.Gillett
Lotus rechingeri Chrtková
Lotus rectus L.
Lotus requienii Mauri ex Sanguin.
Lotus robsonii E.S.Martins & D.D.Sokoloff
Lotus sanguineus (Vural) D.D.Sokoloff
Lotus schoelleri Schweinf.
Lotus sessilifolius DC.
Lotus simoneae Maire, Weiller & Wilczek
Lotus spartioides Webb & Berthel.
Lotus spectabilis Choisy ex Ser.
Lotus stepposus Kramina
Lotus strictus Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
Lotus subbiflorus Lag. – hairy bird's-foot trefoil
Lotus subdigitatus Boutique
Lotus taitungensis S.S.Ying
Lotus tenellus (Lowe) Sandral, A.Santos & D.D.Sokoloff (including Lotus leptophyllus (Lowe) K.Larsen)
Lotus tenuis Waldst. & Kit. ex Willd. – narrowleaf trefoil, slender trefoil, creeping trefoil, or prostrate trefoil
Lotus tetragonolobus L.
Lotus tetraphyllus L.
Lotus tibesticus Maire
Lotus torulosus (Chiov.) Fiori
Lotus × ucrainicus Klokov
Lotus villicarpus Andr.
Lotus weilleri Maire
Lotus wildii J.B.Gillett
Lotus zemmouriensis C.Chatel., F.Andrieu & Dobignard

Species placed elsewhere

Lotus aboriginus = Hosackia rosea
Lotus argophyllus = Acmispon argophyllus
Lotus argyraeus = Acmispon argyraeus
Lotus benthamii = Acmispon cytisoides
Lotus crassifolius = Hosackia crassifolia
Lotus dendroideus = Acmispon dendroideus
Lotus denticulatus = Acmispon denticulatus
Lotus grandiflorus = Acmispon grandiflorus
Lotus hamatus = Acmispon micranthus
Lotus haydonii = Acmispon haydonii
Lotus heermannii = Acmispon tomentosus var. glabriusculus
Lotus humistratus = Acmispon brachycarpus
Lotus incanus = Hosackia incana
Lotus junceus = Acmispon junceus
Lotus mearnsii = Acmispon mearnsii
Lotus micranthus = Acmispon parviflorus
Lotus nevadensis = Acmispon decumbens
Lotus nuttallianus = Acmispon prostratus
Lotus oblongifolius = Hosackia oblongifolia
Lotus pinnatus = Hosackia pinnata
Lotus procumbens = Acmispon procumbens
Lotus rubriflorus = Acmispon rubriflorus
Lotus salsuginosus = Acmispon maritimus
Lotus stipularis = Hosackia stipularis
Lotus wrightii = Ottleya wrightii

Uses and ecology

Pasture with *Lotus corniculatus* (common bird's-foot trefoil, birds-foot deervetch)

Lotus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. Several species are cultivated for forage, including L. corniculatus, L. glaber, and L. pedunculatus. They can produce toxic cyanogenic glycosides which can be potentially toxic to livestock, but also produce tannins, which are a beneficial anti-bloating compound.

Species in this genus can fix nitrogen from the air courtesy of their root nodules, making them useful as a cover crop. The nodulating symbionts are Bradyrhizobium and Mesorhizobium bacteria. Scientific research for crop improvement and understanding the general biology of the genus is focused on L. japonicus, which is currently the subject of a full genome sequencing project, and is considered a model organism.

Some species, such as L. berthelotii from the Canary Islands, are grown as ornamental plants. L. corniculatus is an invasive species in some regions of North America and Australia.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Lotus L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
^ "lotus, n.", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
^ Collins English Dictionary
^ See Acmispon
^ C. A. Stace, Interactive Flora of the British Isles, a Digital Encyclopaedia: Lotus. ISBN 90-75000-69-3. (Online version Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine)
^ Allan, G.J. & Porter, J.M. (2000). "Tribal delimitation and phylogenetic relationships of Loteae and Coronilleae (Faboideae: Fabaceae) with special reference to Lotus: evidence from nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences". American Journal of Botany. 87 (12): 1871–1881. doi:10.2307/2656839. JSTOR 2656839. PMID 11118424.
^ Degtjareva, G.V.; Kramina, T.E.; Sokoloff, D.D.; Samigullin, T.H.; Valiejo-Roman, C.M. & Antonov, A.S. (2006). "Phylogeny of the genus Lotus (Leguminosae, Loteae): Evidence from nrITS sequences and morphology". Canadian Journal of Botany. 84 (5): 813–830. doi:10.1139/b06-035.
^ Degtjareva, G.V.; Kramina, T.E.; Sokoloff, D.D.; Samigullin, T.H.; Valiejo-Roman, C.M. & Antonov, A.S. (2008). "New data on nrITS phylogeny of Lotus (Leguminosae, Loteae)" (PDF). Wulfenia. 15: 35–49. Retrieved 2018-02-06.