Lotus berthelotii is a flowering plant endemic to the Canary Islands of Spain, in the genus Lotus of the pea family Fabaceae. Among its common names are lotus vine flower, parrot (or parrot's) beak, pelican beak, and coral gem. This plant is widely cultivated but is either extinct in the wild or persists as a few individuals. In 1884 it was already classed as "exceedingly rare" and plant collection probably hastened its decline.

Description

Lotus berthelotii is an evergreen prostrate shrub

However, the cultivated population studied by Ollerton et al. (2008) set no fruit, despite the plants receiving large amounts of pollen on their stigmas. This may be because the population was a single, self incompatible clonal genotype; whether this is true of all plants in cultivation is unknown, but may have important implications for the conservation of this species if it is extinct in the wild.

Cultivation

Lotus berthelotii is cultivated as an ornamental plant with its needle-like silvery foliage and red flowers for: traditional gardens, container (pots), and drought tolerant water conserving gardens. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. A golden orange flowering cultivar is also grown. As it is intolerant of freezing temperatures, in cold temperate climates it requires the protection of glass in the winter months. It needs a sheltered spot in full sun.

References

  • Ollerton, J, Cranmer, L, Stelzer, R, Sullivan, S, and Chittka, L (2008) Bird pollination of Canary Island endemic plants. Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2008.1977.1>
  • Valido A, Dupont YL, Olesen JM (2004) Bird-flower interactions in the Macaronesian islands. Journal of Biogeography 31: 1945-1953
  • Vogel S (1954) Blütenbiologische Typen als Elemente der Sippengliederung. Botanische Studien (Jena) 1: 1-338
  • Vogel S, Westerkamp C, Thiel B, Gessner K (1984) Ornithophilie auf den Canarischen Inseln. Plant Systematics and Evolution 146: 225-248
  • U.Regensburg: photo - Lotus berthelotii