Onobrychis viciifolia Seeds | Sainfoin
LATIN NAME: Onobrychis viciifolia
COMMON NAME: Sainfoin
Plant Profile
Onobrychis viciifolia, better known as Sainfoin, is an upright, clumping, perennial in the pea family. Sainfoin is hay that bees follow and horses do well on. Plant is one of great, generous forage plants of old countryside, and deep roots and sweet hay have a long record in farms of Europe. It is a plant of open, sunny, well-drained ground. For the small amount of care it requires, the return is remarkable.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Onobrychis viciifolia ranges from the botany of the pea family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Sainfoin is a steady, generous subject of plant science, studied for spikes of pink, pea-like flowers and deep roots. It is the kind of species that plant scientists reach for when they need reliable material for propagation and selection studies.
Uses & Benefits
Sainfoin works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Sainfoin is a steady, generous plant of field and sunny bank. Tall spikes of bright pink to purple, pea-like flowers open through summer, drawing bees from the whole neighbourhood, and the deep roots hold the dry, stony banks and improve the pasture ground. It has been written up in agricultural and ecological papers for bee-friendly flowers and steady forage ways, and it is a fine, long-lived plant of open, sunny, well-drained garden. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Sainfoin is the premium tannin forage that prevents bloat and improves protein use in grazing animals, a darling of sustainable pasture research.
Growing from Seed
Sainfoin is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Once established, Sainfoin largely looks after itself. It tolerates the sort of small mistakes every beginner makes.
Related Reading
If Sainfoin appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: