Ononis

{{Short description|Genus of legumes}} {{redirect|Passaea|the spurge genus, Passaea Baill. 1858|Bernardia}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Close-up van de bloeiwijze van Ononis spinosa subsp. spinosa.jpg | image_caption = ''Ononis spinosa'' | taxon = Ononis | authority = L. 1753 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms = * ''Anonis'' (Tourn. ''ex'') Adans 1763 * ''Bonaga'' Medik. 1787 * ''Bugranopsis'' Pomel 1874 * ''Natrix'' Moench 1794 * ''Passaea'' Adans. 1763 |synonyms_ref = <ref name="Mediterranean">{{cite book | last1 = Woodgate | first1 = Katherine | last2 = Maxted | first2 = Nigel | last3 = Bennett | first3 = Sarita Jane | editor1-first = Sarita Jane | editor1-last = Bennett | editor2-first = Philip Stanley | editor2-last = Cocks | title = Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes | series = Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture | volume = 33 | year = 1996 | publisher = Kluwer Academic Publishers | location = Norwell, MA | isbn = 0-7923-5522-9 | page = 205 }}</ref><ref name="Genera">{{cite web|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?1558|access-date=2010-07-09|title=Genus Nomenclature in GRIN}}</ref> }}

'''''Ononis''''' is a genus of 80–90 species of perennial herbs and subshrubs in the legume family Fabaceae. The members of this genus are called '''restharrows''';<ref name="Streeter">{{cite book | last=Streeter | first=David | title=Flower Guide | publisher=Collins | publication-place=London | date=2010 | isbn=978-0-00-718389-0 | page=288}}</ref> an old spelling "wrestharrows" is also recorded from 1965.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stockoe|first=W.J.|title=The Observer's Book of Wild Flowers|publisher=Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.|edition=1965|page=78}}</ref> as some species grow as weeds on arable lands where their tough roots would catch and stop the harrow. The genus is native to Europe, northern and eastern Africa, and western and central Asia.<ref name="POWOgenus">{{cite web | title=Plants of the World Online | website=Plants of the World Online | date=1989-03-01 | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:23071-1 | access-date=2025-08-23}}</ref>

In herbalism restharrow is used to treat bladder and kidney problems and water retention.

The active ingredients in restharrow are essential oils, flavonoid-glycosides, and tannins.

Restharrows are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the grey pug and ''Coleophora ononidella'' (which feeds exclusively on ''O. arvensis'').{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}

== Species of ''Ononis'' == thumb|right|225px|''O. arvensis'' thumb|right|225px|''Ononis natrix'', flowers and foliage The genus ''Ononis'' includes the following species accepted by the Plants of the World Online database (POWO), with the addition of one species (''O. repens'') accepted by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and others (see further below):<ref name="POWOgenus"/><ref name="PlantAtlas">{{cite web | title=Common Restharrow ''Ononis repens'' L. | website=PlantAtlas | url=https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.vpb | access-date=2025-08-23}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=21em}} * ''Ononis adenotricha'' Boiss. * ''Ononis afghanica'' Širj. & Rech.f. * ''Ononis alba'' Poir. * ''Ononis alopecuroides'' L. — foxtail restharrow * ''Ononis angustissima'' Lam. * ''Ononis antennata'' Pomel * ''Ononis aragonensis'' Asso * ''Ononis arvensis'' L. — field restharrow  * ''Ononis atlantica'' Ball * ''Ononis aurasiaca'' Förther & Podlech * ''Ononis avellana'' Pomel * ''Ononis azcaratei'' Devesa * ''Ononis baetica'' Clemente * ''Ononis basiadnata'' Hub.-Mor. * ''Ononis biflora'' Desf. * ''Ononis broteroana'' Ser. * ''Ononis catalinae'' Reyes-Bet. & S.Scholz * ''Ononis cephalantha'' Pomel * ''Ononis cephalotes'' Boiss. * ''Ononis christii'' Bolle * ''Ononis cintrana'' Brot. * ''Ononis clausonis'' (Pomel) Pomel * ''Ononis cossoniana'' Boiss. & Reut. * ''Ononis cossoniana'' Boiss. & Reut. * ''Ononis costae'' Menezes * ''Ononis crinita'' Pomel * ''Ononis crispa'' L. * ''Ononis cristata'' Mill. * ''Ononis cuatrecasasii'' Devesa * ''Ononis dentata'' Sol. ex Lowe * ''Ononis diffusa'' Ten. * ''Ononis euphrasiifolia'' Desf. * ''Ononis filicaulis'' Salzm. ex Boiss. * ''Ononis fruticosa'' L. * ''Ononis gines-lopezii'' Devesa * ''Ononis hebecarpa'' Webb & Berthel. * ''Ononis hirta'' Desf. ex Poir. * ''Ononis hispida'' Desf. * ''Ononis incisa'' Coss. & Durieu ex Batt. * ''Ononis intermedia'' C.A.Mey. ex Rouy * ''Ononis jahandiezii'' Maire & Weiller * ''Ononis laxiflora'' Desf. * ''Ononis leucotricha'' Coss. * ''Ononis macrosperma'' Hub.-Mor. * ''Ononis maweana'' Ball * ''Ononis megalostachys'' Munby * ''Ononis minutissima'' L. * ''Ononis mitissima'' L. * ''Ononis mogadorensis'' Förther & Podlech * ''Ononis natrix'' L. — large yellow restharrow * ''Ononis nuristanica'' Podlech * ''Ononis oligophylla'' Ten. * ''Ononis ornithopodioides'' L. * ''Ononis pedicellaris'' (Batt.) Širj. * ''Ononis pendula'' Desf. * ''Ononis peyerimhoffii'' Batt. * ''Ononis phyllocephala'' Boiss. * ''Ononis pinnata'' Brot. * ''Ononis polyphylla'' Ball * ''Ononis polysperma'' Barratte & Murb. * ''Ononis pseudoserotina'' Batt. & Pit. * ''Ononis pubescens'' L. * ''Ononis pusilla'' L. * ''Ononis ramosissima'' Desf. * ''Ononis reclinata'' L. — small restharrow * ''Ononis repens'' L. — common restharrow * ''Ononis reuteri'' Boiss. * ''Ononis rosea'' Durieu * ''Ononis rotundifolia'' L. * ''Ononis serotina'' Pomel * ''Ononis serrata'' Forssk. * ''Ononis sessilifolia'' Bornm. * ''Ononis sicula'' Guss. * ''Ononis sieberi'' Besser ex DC. * ''Ononis speciosa'' Lag. * ''Ononis spinosa'' L. — spiny restharrow * ''Ononis striata'' Gouan * ''Ononis talaverae'' Devesa & G.López * ''Ononis tazaensis'' Förther & Podlech * ''Ononis thomsonii'' Ball ex Oliv. * ''Ononis tournefortii'' Coss. * ''Ononis tridentata'' L. * ''Ononis unifoliolata'' Dobignard, Jacquemoud & Jeanm. * ''Ononis varelae'' Devesa * ''Ononis variegata'' L. * ''Ononis verae'' Širj. * ''Ononis villosissima'' Desf. * ''Ononis viscosa'' L. * ''Ononis zygantha'' Maire & Wilczek {{div col end}}

The status of ''Ononis repens'' is disputed; POWO treats it as a subspecies of ''O. spinosa'' (as ''O. spinosa'' subsp. ''procurrens'' (Wallr.) Briq.),<ref name="POWOrep">{{cite web | title=Plants of the World Online | website=Plants of the World Online | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:510480-1 | access-date=2025-08-23}}</ref> while accepting ''O. arvensis'' as a separate species.<ref name="POWOgenus"/> However, in genetic analysis (in which both ''O. repens'' and ''O. arvensis'' were treated as subspecies of ''O. spinosa'', as ''O. s.'' subsp. ''maritima'' and ''O. s.'' subsp. ''arvensis'', respectively), ''O. repens'' recovered as more closely related to ''O. arvensis'', than to ''O. spinosa''.<ref name="Taxon">{{cite journal | last1=Turini | first1=Florian G. | last2=Bräuchler | first2=Christian | last3=Heubl | first3=Günther | title=Phylogenetic relationships and evolution of morphological characters in ''Ononis'' L. (Fabaceae) | journal=Taxon | volume=59 | issue=4 | date=2010 | issn=0040-0262 | doi=10.1002/tax.594008 | pages=1077–1090 | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tax.594008 | access-date=2025-08-23| url-access=subscription }}</ref> It remains widely accepted as a species, particularly in Great Britain and Ireland, where it is the most widespread and abundant species in the genus.<ref name="PlantAtlas"/><ref name="Streeter"/>

===Nothospecies=== * ''Ononis × schouwii'' Ser.

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Ononis}} *[http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Ononis_arvensis Medicinal uses of ''O. arvensis'' in Armenia]

Category:Ononis Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Fabaceae genera Category:Long stubs with short prose {{Trifolieae-stub}}