| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Scattered across the state. First collected from a pasture in Iredell County in 1937. Apparently slow to colonize new sites. Visual inspection of digital specimens at SERNEC (2026) shows that certain records from Dare and Randolph counties are L. tenuis, due to narrow leaflets and small flowers.
Native of Eurasia; in N.A. throughout, except for LA, MS, FL, SC. | |
| Abundance | Rare to locally uncommon. However, individual populations may be large locally. | |
| Habitat | Roadsides, roadbanks, pastures, sandy creek bank. | |
| Phenology | Flowering May-July. | |
| Identification | Bird's-foot-trefoil is a tufted to sprawling plant, the stems radiating from a central point. The leaves are well-spaced, divided into 3 oblanceolate leaflets. The flowers are terminal, golden yellow, and clustered. Narrowleaf Bird's-foot-trefoil (L. tenuis) is very similar and differs by the narrower linear-lanceolate leaflets and smaller flowers. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | | |
| Other Common Name(s) | | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | GNR | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
