This annual plant with a strictly Mediterranean, mainly western distribution, is present along the Tyrrhenian coasts of the Italian Peninsula from Tuscany to Calabria (since a long time no longer reported from Campania), in Sardinia, and in Sicily. It grows in wet sites, such as at the edges of temporary ponds, on siliceous substrates, from sea level to about 1300 m. The species is common in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus name derives from the Greek 'lotos' and the Latin 'lotus', designating different Fabaceae or edible forage, including clover and sweet clover; the species is named after the city of Coimbra in Portugal, in whose vicinity it is present. Flowering period: April to June.
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