Leaf
Daniel Barthélémy, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Shrubby scorpion vetch
Coronilla valentina L.
Also known as: Mediterranean crown vetch
Family: Fabaceae
0.5 to 1.5 m tall
Garrigue, banks, dry gardens, limestone soils
Flowering: February – May
Full sun
Hardy to -10°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its generous yellow flowering begins at the end of winter, when few other shrubs are yet in flower.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, compound, rounded blue-green leaflets
🌸 Flowers
Small golden-yellow flowers in umbels, scented
🍎 Fruits
Small narrow segmented pods
🪵 Bark
Evergreen shrub with supple grey-green twigs, forming a bushy habit.
🗺️ Distribution
Western Mediterranean; found in the maquis and garrigue of south-eastern France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Scented winter to spring flowering, rich in nectar for bees in a lean period.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in Mediterranean borders or banks for its early, scented flowering.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Contains beta-nitropropionic acid, a neurotoxin; plant toxic if ingested, notably to animals.
🌿 Other Fabaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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