Anthyllis terniflora (Lag.) Pau
Genista terniflora Lag.; A. genistae Dufour
Eng.: Lesser albaida, lesser vetch. Spa.: Albaida fina. Fre.: Anthyllide.
Subshrub, up to 0.8(1) m in height, hermaphrodite, evergreen, very ramose, erect. Stems and branches almost vertical at first, and eventually pendulous and intricate in older plants, with bark green-greyish, with very fine whitish hairs. Leaves alternate, stipulate, usually unifoliolate, rarely some trifoliolate; with central leaflet 12-30 × 2-4.5 mm, larger than the lateral leaflets, all from linear-lanceolate to oblong, entire, acute, attenuated at the base, with short petiolule, slightly hairy and green on both sides, somewhat duller on the underside. Inflorescence in racemes, terminal, up to 20 cm long, with flowers grouped in fascicles of 1-4 discontinuously along the main axis. Calyx 4-5 mm, tubular, with 5 subequal teeth, acute, shorter than the tube, sericeous. Corolla 3.5-5 mm, papilionoid, yellow, with standard longer than wings and keel. Androecium submonadelphous. Ovary substipitate, with 7-8 rudimentary seminal primordia, style curved at right angle. Pod 2.5-3 mm, ovoid, apiculate, glabrous, surrounded by the persistent calyx, with 1 seed. Seeds c. 1 × 1.5 mm, reniform, smooth.
Flowering:
March to June (although some flowers can appear almost throughout the entire year).
Fruiting:
May to July.
Habitat:
Thickets, on very diverse terrains, but preferably alkaline in nature (limestone, marl, chalky, etc.), and also on volcanic soils and coastal sands, from near sea level up to 600 m, in warm, semiarid to dry environments. Highly thermophilic plant, it can barely withstand frosts.
Distribution:
Endemic to the SE of the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, where it is found in dry areas (Aknul, Imzorène, Gareb) and in semiarid areas of the Rif.
Conservation status:
A relatively common and widespread species, not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.