Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 124 (1753).

Synonymy: H. trilobum Trautv., Trudy Imp. S.-Petersb. Bot. Sada 9:366 (1884).

Common name: None

Description:
Herb with the first leaves in a basal rosette becoming later a laxly branched shrublet to 30 cm high, glabrous, with a curry-like odour; leaves usually with a petiole or sessile below the flowers, 3-17 cm long, with the blade oblanceolate to ovate below the flowers, deeply bipinnatisect, with linear lobes rarely more than 2 mm broad, yellowish-green.

Pedicel 0.6-4 cm long, erect in flower, elongating and recurved in fruit; petals bright-yellow to somewhat darker at the base, with the outer pair rhombic or obovate with an abrupt constriction (or shallowly lobed) in the upper third into a distinct terminal lobe, with the inner ones each trilobed, of which the inner lobe is broadly elliptic on a stalk-like base and often with purplish spots.

Fruit narrowly ellipsoid, 3-4 cm long, 4-ribbed to 4-angled, articulated; seeds pale-brown, ovate, minutely reticulately patterned.

	Hypecoum pendulum
Image source: fig 205d in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Morley and Toelken (1983) Flowering plants in Australia, fig. 27.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NL, YP.   Vic.   Widespread in southern Europe, south-western Asia and northern Africa. Conservation status: naturalised Flowering time: Sept. — Oct.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: It seems advisable to accept a single variable species as done by Mowat & Turin (1964) Flora Europaea 1:252, as opposed to Cullen (1966) Flora Iranica 34:23 who divided the species complex into 3 varieties. Aston (1976) Muelleria 3:177-182 found that specimens from Vic. showed intermediates. Jessop (1977) J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. l:141, 142 came to a similar conclusion on specimens found in S.Aust.

Author: Not yet available