Ononis pubescens, Downy Rest-harrow,
Hebrew: שברק דביק, Arabic: الشبرق الزغبي

Scientific name:  Ononis pubescens L.
Common name:  Downy Rest-harrow
Hebrew name:   שברק דביק
Arabic name:  الشبرق الزغبي
Family:  Papilionaceae, פרפרניים

Flora de Israel, Israel wildflowers

Life form:  Annual
Leaves:  Alternate, compound, trifoliate, dentate or serrate
Flowers:  Yellow
Flowering Period:   March, April, May, June
Habitat:  Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:  Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:  Mediterranean
Summer shedding:  Ephemeral

Ononis pubescens, Downy Rest-harrow, שברק דביק, الشبرق الزغبي


Derivation of the botanical name:
Ononis, (Theophrastus) is from the Greek onos, meaning "ass" (because they are said especially to like it), and the classical Greek name used by Pliny for the rest-harrow.
pubescens, to reach puberty, become pubescent; becoming hairy.
  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.