Plant Details

Ononis spinosa

Spiny Rest Harrow

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Common names

29 names · 25 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Spiny Rest Harrow
  • Spiny restharrow[1]
Other languages (24)
Dutch
  • Kattendoorn[1]
French
  • Arrête-boeuf[1]
  • Bugrane épineuse[1]
Arabic
  • شبرق شائك[1]
Catalan
  • gavó espinós[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 红芒柄花[1]
Croatian
  • Trnoviti gladiš[1]
  • Trnoviti zečji trn[1]
Czech
  • jehlice trnitá[1]
Danish
Finnish
  • ruusuorakko[1]
German
  • Dornige Hauhechel[1]
  • Dorniger Hauhechel[1]
Hebrew
  • שברק קוצני[1]
Hungarian
  • Tövises Iglice[1]
Italian
  • Arrestabue[1]
Japanese
  • ハリモクシュク[1]
Lithuanian
  • Dygliuotasis dirvenis[1]
Norwegian
  • vedbeinurt[1]
Polish
  • wilżyna ciernista[1]
Portuguese
  • Jóina-espinhosa[1]
Russian
  • Стальник колючий[1]
Slovak
  • ihlica tŕnitá[1]
Slovenian
  • navadni gladež[1]
Swedish
  • åsnetörne[1]
Turkish
  • kayışkıran[1]
Welsh
  • Tagaradr pigog[1]
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Ononis spinosa — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Spiny restharrow — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • שברק קוצני — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Bugrane épineuse — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Стальник колючий — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Dorniger Hauhechel — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • jehlice trnitá — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Krageklo — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • vedbeinurt — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Arrestabue — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Dornige Hauhechel — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • ruusuorakko — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Kattendoorn — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Dygliuotasis dirvenis — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • شبرق شائك — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • ハリモクシュク — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Jóina-espinhosa — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • åsnetörne — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • ihlica tŕnitá — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • gavó espinós — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • kayışkıran — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • 红芒柄花 — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Trnoviti zečji trn — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Trnoviti gladiš — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Tövises Iglice — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • navadni gladež — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Arrête-boeuf — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • wilżyna ciernista — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.
  • Tagaradr pigog — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 82730; Ononis spinosa.

General information

Scientific name: Ononis spinosa
Accepted name (Kew): Ononis spinosa L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Botanical family: Fabaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Ononis (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Spiny Rest Harrow
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Herbaceous
Catalogue size class: None
Height: 0.10 m
Spread: - m
Growth rate: None
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 5-9
Soil moisture:
Moist, Well-drained
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Leaves, Flowers, Root
Edibility rating:
(2)
Medicinal rating:
(2)
Functions:
Nitrogen fixer

Description

Young shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The roots have a liquorice-like flavor and can be chewed. The flowers can be eaten raw and are used as decoration on salads.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/06
Harvest ends: 30/09

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 107970; name ID 2389637; Ononis L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 106409; name ID 2389429; Ononis spinosa L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.