Author: آمنه غلامی 
Coronilla varia L.
Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Leila Rasoulzadeh and Nastaran Jalilian
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at Dec 2023
Scientific editor: Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 15-20% eRH and store at -20 °C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species are not dormant. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Place seeds two weeks in 4 ºC to germinate uniformly. Then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15/20 ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours in light and the lower one for eight hours in dark).
Morphology
Fruit: Pod, long linear, 4-angled and segmented, up to 5 cm long with a beak at the end. Each segment contains an individual seed, droping from the pod when it splits open.
Seed: Seeds narrow elliptic to cylindric, slight flattish, with keels on sides, hilum rounded or obovate. Surface smooth, dull or slight lustrous, pale brown to violet-brown
Seed size: Length 4 to 4.6 mm, width 1.3 to 1.5 mm in an accession from Marivan, Kurdistan with 1000 seeds weight 7.2 g, which was collected in 2015 by Shabo Kafash and the cultivated sample was identified by Nastran Jaliliyan, and is stored in the Natural Resources Gene Bank of Iran with the accession number 45429.
1000 seed weight: 3.8 to 10 g
Biological features
Life form: Perennial, subshrub. Stems numerous, ascending or diffused and spreading, 30 to 60 cm height, glabrous
Inflorescences and flower type and pollination mechanisms: The inflorescence axillary, which is a round cluster of 5 to 25 flowers on a long stalk rising from the leaf axils, flowers hermaphrodite, zygomorphic, heteropetalous; corolla composed of violet banner )uper large petal(, white wings (two petals adjacent to the banner), and white keel (two bottom petals); stamens are always ten in number, and their filaments are fused in a group of nine stamens plus one separate stamen (9+1). Plant monoecious, cross-pollinated. Pollination is carried out by insects.
Time of flowering: May to June
Time of seed ripening: June-July
Seed dispersal methods: The seeds are displaced by weight.
Geographical distribution: Native of Europe and West Asia
Distribution in Iran: North, Northwest, Northeast, and West. Mostly in provinces Ardabil, Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari, Kurdistan, Hamedan, Lorestan, Markazi, Alborz, Tehran, Qom, Esfahan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, and North Khorasan.
Taxonomy
Family: Papilionaceae
Genus: Coronilla
Species: C. varia
Persian name: Yonjeh-e baghi or Yonjeh-e taji
Common name: Crown vetch
References and Links
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Publication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Mozaffarian, V. 2012. A Pictorial Dictionary of Botany. Farhange Moaser publisher, 1088 pp.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian Plants Names. Moaser Publisher, Tehran Farhang, 671 pp.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
