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Lotus creticus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Lotus
Species:	L. creticus
Binomial name
Lotus creticus L.

Lotus creticus is a species of perennial herb of the family Fabaceae found in tropical Africa. It is symbiosis-competent and engages in nitrogen-fixing symbiotic interactions with species of the Ensifer genus. It comprises three varieties found in the Mediterranean. There is some controversy as to whether each subgroup could be considered the same species but are classically described as being subgroups. Varieties consist of the most commonly cited silky-hairy var. creticus, which is widely distributed in its western part of the coast; the non-silky var. glabrescens, which has a western Mediterranean distribution; and the eastern Mediterranean var. collinus, which is also not silky and can be described by long petioles and peduncles.

Morphology

Lotus creticus has been described as a perennial herb of 1–2F with diffuse copiously-branched densely grey-silky Appearance. Leaflets are fleshy and oblanceolate-cuneate. Flowers are in umbels with 4–8 on axillary peduncles. Pedicels are described as short and bracts as a compound, equalling or shorter than the calyx. Flowers are corolla yellow and twice the calyx with linear pods linear of 12–18 lines long, turgid with 9–15-seeds per pod.

Symbiosis

Lotus creticus has been found to engage in nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with Ensifer numidicus.

Distribution

Lotus creticus is native to the Spanish Mediterranean coast. It can be found in a wide range of habitats ranging from sandy to heavy saline soils and from sea level to high altitudes.

Importance

Lotus creticus is used in agriculture as an alternative to traditional covering plants as they experience rapid growth, have higher yields than traditional alternatives, and are considered drought-resistant. L. creticus is also considered an important candidate for revegetation programs in Europe. It is a pioneer plant and can rapidly advance in poor soils. In studies comparing similar species in bioremediation, L. creticus showed the highest levels of dominance at the initial and oldest stages of the revegetation.

References

1. ^ "creta trefoil - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
2. ^ "Lotus creticus in Global Plants on JSTOR". plants.jstor.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
3. ^ Heyn, C. C.; Herrnstadt, I. (1967). "The Lotus creticus Group". Kew Bulletin. 21 (2): 299–309. doi:10.2307/4108523. ISSN 0075-5974. JSTOR 4108523.
4. Merabet, C.; Martens, M.; Mahdhi, M.; Zakhia, F.; Sy, A.; Le Roux, C.; Domergue, O.; Coopman, R.; Bekki, A.; Mars, M.; Willems, A. (March 2010). "Multilocus sequence analysis of root nodule isolates from Lotus arabicus (Senegal), Lotus creticus, Argyrolobium uniflorum and Medicago sativa (Tunisia) and description of Ensifer numidicus sp. nov. and Ensifer garamanticus sp. nov". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 60 (Pt 3): 664–674. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.012088-0. hdl:1854/LU-936490. ISSN 1466-5026. PMID 19656922.
5. ^ Bañon, S.; Fernandez, J.A; Franco, J.A; Torrecillas, A.; Alarcón, J.J; Sánchez-Blanco, M.J (2004-09-10). "Effects of water stress and night temperature preconditioning on water relations and morphological and anatomical changes of Lotus creticus plants". Scientia Horticulturae. 101 (3): 333–342. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2003.11.007. ISSN 0304-4238.
6. ^ Escaray, F. J.; Rosique, F. J. C.; Scambato, A. A.; Bilenca, D.; Carrasco, P.; Matarredona, A. V.; Ruiz, O. A.; Menéndez, A. B. (2010). "Evaluation of a technical revegetation action performed on foredunes at Devesa de la Albufera, Valencia, Spain". Land Degradation & Development. 21 (3): 239–247. doi:10.1002/ldr.970. ISSN 1099-145X. S2CID 140579330.

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• Lotus (genus)