A common weed of dry environments cockscomb sanfoin, Onobrychis caput-galli as its scientific name suggests is a fodder plant for donkeys and probably eaten by goats as well. They may form a tangled mass on the ground  often growing together with the similar equal-toothed sanfoin, Onobrychis aequidentata.

The fruits are spiky and said to resemble cockscombs. The seeds have hard tough coats which delay germination, so instead of sprouting all at once germination is staggered, a strategy which aids survival of the species in adverse surroundings, some seeds remaining dormant will survive drought and to emerge when conditions improve.