Anthyllis hermanniae


Anthyllis hermanniae, called the lavender-leaved anthyllis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Anatolia, Greece, the Balkans, and many Mediterranean islands, including Corsica. Coleophora hermanniella, a species of moth found only on Corsica, feeds exclusively on A.hermanniae. A low perennial shrub, it is cultivated as a garden plant, and was formerly cultivated as far north as the United Kingdom, until the great frost of 1739 wiped them out there.
A. hermanniae is typically tall, with crooked or zig-zag branches. The leaves are simple or trifoliate, with soft silky hairs. This plant grows in a variety of habitats, but requires good drainage, often growing in rocky locations. It produces yellow flowers in late spring-early summer.

Subspecies

Currently accepted subspecies are:
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. brutia Brullo & Giusso – southern Italy
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. corsica Brullo & Giusso – Corsica, Tuscan Archipelago
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. hermanniae – Albania, East Aegean Islands, Greece, Crete, western Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, and former Yugoslavia
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. ichnusae Brullo & Giusso – east-central Sardinia
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. japygica Brullo & Giusso – southern Italy
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. melitensis Brullo & Giusso – Malta
  • Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. sicula Brullo & Giusso – southern Sicily