Sainfoin

Onobrychis Sativa

From a blessed herb (Herb Bennet / Wood Avens) last week, to some holy hay today!

This dazzlingly pink flower was introduced to Britain in the 1600's from France. The Old French name was 'Sainte Foyne', meaning wholesome or holy hay. And there are many things that make Sainfoin brilliant.

Firstly, pollinating insects, especially bees, adore its nectar and produce more honey from Sainfoin than from other similar flowers. The only other flower that comes close is called Melilot (lots of honey, from 'miel' the French word for honey)

Secondly, it continues to grow even during droughts, so when nothing else is growing Sainfoin still provides food for livestock. And where it grows it improves the soil for other plants to grow and thrive. What a hero!

Thirdly, cattle, sheep and horses love Sainfoin. Not only is it tasty and nutritious but it is also a natural wormer and doesn't cause bloat in horses.

The best thing of all is that it stops cows from farting so much! And in these methane-conscious times, this is a real bonus. Easy on our noses and easier on the environment too. Maybe we should all have some.

The word Onobrychis comes from Ancient Greek and means devoured by donkeys. Even the Ancient Greek donkeys already knew about this fantastic hay. Sativa means cultivated. Onobrychis Sativa is a plant cultivated as fodder for donkeys.

If you enjoyed reading this, you might enjoy reading about other wildflowers too. You can easily find all posts written so far in the Flowerology alphabetical archive . If you’d like to know more about the background of Flowerology and Chantal, you can read more in the about page.

This newsletter is NOT a field guide for flower identification. It’s often difficult to tell the difference between harmless plants and poisonous plants and some flowers are rare and protected by law, so, NEVER pick or use any plants or flowers if you’re not sure about them.

illustrations and text ©Chantal Bourgonje