About Ononis natrix subsp. hesperia Maire
Ononis natrix subsp. hesperia Maire is a perennial plant that grows 50 to 100 cm tall. It has a woody base, and its entire structure is covered in viscous glands. Its leaves are composed of three oblong, finely toothed leaflets. Flowers grow in leafy terminal racemes. The one-flowered peduncles are long, and often have a stiff, bristle-like point. Calyx lobes are much longer than the calyx tube. The yellow corolla measures 15 mm, and is twice the length of the calyx. The standard petal has red-brown striations. This taxon grows in sandy and stony areas on limestone. It can be found in coastal regions, lower and middle mountains, Beqaa, the South, and Antilebanon. Its broader geographic range includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and the Circum-Mediterranean region. The genus name Onônis (also sometimes written anônis) is the Greek name for a Mediterranean species in this genus. It is sometimes interpreted as deriving from the Greek words onos (donkey) and onesis (happiness), because certain rest-harrow species were thought to be favored by donkeys. The specific epithet natrix is the name of a water snake; this name was applied to this plant because its pollen tube releases ciliated antherozoids that swim, similar to a water snake, before entering the embryo sac. Known as lissayq in Arabic, the branches of this plant are used in the preparation of raisins.
