Ononis spinosa

FamilyGenus: Ononisnative in Germany

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Species

interact

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410

Interactions

documented

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Host relationships

Species

About this species

A low, spiny legume of dry, calcareous grasslands, bearing pink flowers in summer and valued for its nectar and pollen. Native in Great Britain.

Ecological network

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PollinationLarval hostFlower visit

Ecological significance

The flowers offer a rich supply of nectar and pollen, scoring highly for both, and support a variety of insects.

Annual cycle

Evergreen foliage persists through the year. The flowering period runs from June to August.

Safety note

There are no recorded toxic properties, though sensitive individuals may occasionally react to handling.

Standort & Merkmale

Light

Sonne

Moisture

Trocken

Soil

Schwachzehrer (Magerer Boden)

Flowering period

Jun – Aug

Soil reaction

Basisch / Kalkhold

Bioregion

Continental

Nectar value

Pollen value

Growth form

Krautige Pflanze

Woodiness

Nicht verholzt

Leaf type

Breitblättrig

Leaf phenology

Immergrün

Plant height

0.403 m

Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)

Pflege & Anbau

Grow in full sun on well-drained, poor, alkaline soil. Water sparingly once established; no additional fertiliser is needed. Trim after flowering to keep a compact habit.

Scientific profile

Ononis spinosa is a herbaceous perennial of the Fabaceae family, reaching around 40 cm in height. It bears broad, evergreen leaves and produces pink flowers from June to August. The species shows a preference for nutrient-poor, calcareous soils in full sun and has a low tolerance of disturbance. It is not adapted to saline conditions. The root system forms arbuscular mycorrhizal associations. Diaspore mass is approximately 4.9 mg. It is native in Great Britain.

Pollinators & visitors

45 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze

Syrphus ribesiiSyrphus vitripennisEupeodes corollaeEpisyrphus balteatusXylocopa violaceaApis melliferaLasioglossum glabriusculumBombus pascuorumBombus ruderariusBombus lapidariusBombus terrestris (Linnaeus,1758)AndrenaAndrena wilkellaOsmia aurulentaLasioglossum pauxillumLasioglossum morioOsmia rufohirtaSyritta pipiensAndrena labialisAnthidium oblongatumBombus humilisScaeva pyrastriAndrena flavipesAnthidium manicatumChelostoma rapunculiEristalis tenaxMegachile willughbiellaAnthidium punctatumTrachusa byssinaMegachile argentataBombus sylvarumLasioglossum punctatissimumSphaerophoria scriptaBombus pratorumBombus lucorumPlatycheirus albimanusHoplitis leucomelanaSeladonia tumulorumAndrena ovatulaEucera longicornisMegachileBombus hortorumBombus cryptarum/lucorum/magnus/terrestrisMegachile pilidensHalictus tumulorum

Host relationships

2 species use this plant as a host

Lasiocampa trifoliiPyrrhia umbra

Other flower visitors

5 other species visit the flowers

Meligethes aeneus (Fabricius,1775)Brassicogethes aeneusEuceraSphaerophoriaSphaerophoria spec

Sources & data origin

•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)

•pollinator_interactions

•FloraWeb / BfN

•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)

•EuPPollNet — Kuppler et al. (2025), DOI: 10.1111/geb.70000 (CC BY 4.0)

•Database of Pollinator Interactions (DoPI) — Pocock et al. (2022), DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3801 (CC BY)

•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)

•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)

•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)

•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)

•Foto: © Adobe Stock / AdobeStock_268842619

All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →