Anthyllis vulneraria L. Fababaceae. Kidney vetch, woundwort. 'vulneraria' means 'wound healer'; 'wort' has been used in England since the 9th century to mean root or plant. Parkinson (1640) notes Anthylis prior and Anthyllis lentisimilis (Dodoens); Anthyllis leguminosa (Lobel, Clusius); Lagopodium (Tabermontanus); Arthetica wundkraut Saxonum (Thalius); Vulneraria rustica (Gesner); and several more names from different authors. Small herb. Distribution: Europe to Iran and North Africa. The hairy flowers and leaves would act, like cotton wool, to promote platelet clotting. Parkinson (1640) notes it as Anthyllis leguminosa vulgaris writing ' ... much use among the Germans for their wonds and hurts, inward and outward, so doe both wayes apply them, whence their name: Thalius [said] it was used for the gout' .

Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013) Wellcome Library notes.

Anthyllis vulneraria is being used to clear up contaminated mine sites as it can absorb zinc, lead and camium from mine tilings where the metal concentrations are 500 times higher than European standars allow, storing up to 8% by weight in vacuoles in their leaves. It has no modern medical use.

Oakeley, Dr. Henry F. (2013). Wellcome Library notes. Link

Family name change from Papilionaceae.

Plants of the World online, Kew Science https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:474795-1 Link

Family name change from Leguminosae.

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/

Africa, Northeast Tropical Africa, Ethiopia

Africa, Northern Africa, Algeria

Africa, Northern Africa, Egypt

Africa, Northern Africa, Morocco

Africa, Northern Africa, Tunisia

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, North Caucasus

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, Transcaucasus

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iran

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Israel

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Lebanon-Syria

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Turkey

Europe, Eastern Europe

Europe, Middle Europe

Europe, Northern Europe

Europe, Northern Europe, Great Britain

Europe, Southeastern Europe

Europe, Southwestern Europe