It is found throughout Europe and especially in the Mediterranean basin, primarily on rocky shores among shrubby vegetation.
Stem: prostrate to decumbent, 2--6 dm. Leaf: stipules ovate to lanceolate, dentate near base, +- hairy abaxially; leaflets 1--1.5 cm, obovate to elliptic. Inflorescence: 1--3-flowered, peduncle < petiole. Flower: calyx 2.5--3 mm; corolla 6--7 mm, yellow to orange-yellow, wings < keel. Fruit: coiled 4--8 turns, coils convex, overlapped; gray, glandular-hairy, prickles 0. Seed: several. Chromosomes: 2n=32.
This plant is useful.
How to get rid of:
Easy to control in the home garden by hand-pulling, cultivation, and the application of mulch. In large, landscaped areas herbicides may also be necessary. Because it has a hard seed coat that is very heat tolerant, composting and solarization are not as effective in reducing seed viability as they are with other weed species.
The hard seed coat also allows the seeds to survive longer in the soil than many other weed seeds; Seeds can germinate over many years, making the control of these plants an ongoing effort.
