Birdfoot Trefoil Seeds

Let's back up almost 3 years. At the link below I show you a hobby microscope that takes pictures. Well, it was supposed to. The first one didn't work right, so I sent it back. The second one didn't work right either. I sent that back and gave up. A couple of weeks ago I found this which just plugs into a USB port. Like the other one, it doesn't have the clarity I would like, but I can live with it for the price. It was much cheaper than the other one.

Here is Birdsfoot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus. It's alien, sigh. I love the color- the pure yellow. You see it along the roadsides all summer long. If it doesn't get mowed, it can be almost 2 feet tall, but if it gets cut down it will flower in a low mat. As you might guess from the flower, it's a legume.

I always thought the name came from the clusters of leaves. You can easily tell this from clover, even when it's not blooming, because the leaves, other than the terminal one in each cluster, are assymetric. Each cluster looks sort of bird-footy.

Ha! This year, I looked at the seed pods. Does anyone have any other questions about how this plant got its common name?

Here is a closer look at where the pods grow out of the flowers.

It looks as if some very small insect enjoys the seeds for snacking. The undersides of many of the pods had tiny holes drilled in them.

When I broke a pod open, you can see from the traces of membrane that the seeds lie inside it just like peas. Makes sense, peas are also a legume. These seeds are tiny dark brown "peas."

I also took a picture of the seeds with the measuring card, but it didn't save properly. Note to self to pay more attention next time. This is basically Chinese junk electronics, but if I can have fun with it for a while, great! Anyway, the seeds are about 1.2mm in diameter. There isn't enough magnification to see any detail of the surface. Maybe someday I can have a really good video scope.

I worked on various projects all day, and I need to step up the productivity level tomorrow. I have a meeting starting very soon, so I don't have time to retake the picture with the ruler right now. Maybe tomorrow. Good thing it's a Zoom meeting. I also need a shower!

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