Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. rubiflora is the Meditteranean version of the yellow kidney vetch which is common in Northern Europe, it is found in summer in the olive groves, on the edges of fields and roadside. The plant has long  spreading stems with flowers arranged in globular heads at intervals along them. The flower heads are encircled by leafy bracts.

The flower petals are pink when young, becoming darker as they mature and turning brick red as they wither. The petals protrude from tubular bracts which are white tipped with purple and covered in silky hairs. Leaves are divided with leaflets arranged in pairs with a single terminal leaflet.

The scientific name vulneraria, the English name woundwort and Greek word τραυμαική (travmatiki) all refer to the Medieval use of the plant to encourage wound healing. The term kidney vetch refers to it's use as a folk medicine for kidney disorders from the discipline of "signatures" when plants were thought to resemble the organ or condition they were designed to treat.