0133 



RESTHARROW. 



Family: LEGUMINOSAE. 



Reproductive system: DlADELPHY, MONOGYNY. 



The tall restharrow. Ononis altissima, Lam., is a perennial plant three or four feet 

 high. The upper part of its straight stem is covered with glandular hairs. The branches 

 never get thorny as they do in most of the other species. The upper leaves have a single 

 leaflet; the lower ones have three. Both kinds have broad, dentate stipules. The large 

 flowers are a pretty purple-pink color and are arranged on somewhat narrow, leafy, 

 terminal spikes. The standard is much larger than the wings and the carina. The calyx is 

 covered with glandular hairs. 



FLOWERS: July. 



RANGE: sandy regions of the southern provinces. 



The goatroot ononis, Ononis arvensis. Lam., is a plant with very vigorous 

 horizontally extended roots. The stems, often recumbent but straightened up at their tips, 

 are reddish and hairy. The leaves are compound with small, ovate, toothed leaflets; the 

 upper leaves often are simple. The red flowers are axillary and solitary. The standard is 

 striped and very large. The branches almost always get thorny as they age. One variety of 

 this species, called Ononis repens, always has a recumbent stem and rounder leaflets. 



FLOWERS: July and August. 



HABITAT: sandy soils. 



NOMENCLATURE. The name Ononis comes from a Greek word that means 

 donkey, since donkeys eat this plant. The common name, arrete-boeuf, comes from its 

 strong deep roots that can stop an ox and plow [Translator r s note: arrete-boeuf means to 

 stop an ox and its plow, hence restharrow]. The names bugrande, bugrane are from bu 9 

 Celtic for an ox [Translator 's note: the French name for this plant, bugrane, comes from 

 the Greek boukranon, skull or cranium of an ox]. German, hauhechel, hachelkraut. 

 Dutch, stalkrind. 



