Scientific Name:
Lotus berthelotii
Pronunciation:
LO-tus berth-eh-LOT-ee-eye
Common Name:
parrot's beak, coral gem, pelican's beak, lotus vine
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Plant Type:
Annual, Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Leaves divided into 3-5 slender pubescent leaflets (1-2cm long x 1mm wide); flowers orange-red to red, pea flower-shaped, but slender, 2-4cm long and 5-8mm broad like lobster claws.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
< 0.1m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa (Canary Islands, Cap Verde Islands)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract butterflies, Container planting, Hanging basket, Rock garden
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Acicular, Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Orange, Red, Dark-red (black centered)
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
3-4cm wide
Fruit Type:
Legume
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Unlikely to form (flowers are self incompatible)
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing)
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
