Onobrychis Species, Common Sainfoin

I used to raise sainfoin as a forage crop. As long as it had a bit of growth prior to winter in order for its root reserves to build up,...Read More it would survive a very cold winter.

In Montana, (our area could get as cold as -40 or -50F without windchill), it would survive as long as it had snow cover. We would keep from harvesting or grazing after about early Septemeber, but once the killing frost occurred, I would often let the cattle eat it.

It would survive without being cut down too, but with a good frost the top growth dies back.

A hardy legume that is an excellent forage for cattle and horses. Can be cut up to 3 times per summer for hay when irrigated. Seeds sho...Read Moreuld be innoculated before planting. Cattle will not bloat when turned out to graze on sanfoin. Remont variety seems to be the best producer. Blossoms, which are blue to purple, produce some of the finest honey available. Seeds are quite large and planted at the rate of 35 pounds per acre.

Sainfoin is grown as a fodder plant for livestock, and it has naturalized itself in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America ...Read Moreand New Zealand. It prefers calcereous well-drained soil and is drought tolerant due to its long taproot. It is a herbaceous plant with a long life-expectancy and can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees F.

Sainfoin is an erect plant with hollow stems that come from a branched crown. The foliage is compounded ovate leaflets. The spiked blooms are pink with darker pink stripes and are very attractive to bees. Seed pods have one large kidney-shaped seed per pod. Seeds should be planted no deeper than 3/4".

The common name, Sainfoin, means "holy clover", as it is reputed to have been the hay in Christ's manger.