Sainfoin

Sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia) is a Eurasian perennial herb that has pale pink flowers, curved pods and is naturalized in Britain and North America grasslands on calcareous soils. Sainfoin is the only species in the genus Onobrychis.

This highly nutritious plant is an important forage crop and source of honey in Britain. This is because the plant is rich in tannins which protect proteins from hydrolysis in the rumen allowing the protein to be absorbed in the abomasum. The plant has a deep taproot and so is very drought-resistant, but does not recover well from grazing and has poor persistence.

• Flowers: June-September.
• Distribution: grassland, cultivated land, waste places in throughout europe up to southern Sweden.
• Leaves: pinnate, alternate, 6 to 14 pairs, oblong to linear.