Understanding the biochemical and physiological consequences of species variation would expedite improvement in agronomically useful genotypes of sainfoin (Onobrychis spp.) Information on variation among sainfoin species is lacking on thermal dependence of glutathione reductase (B.C. 1.6.4.2.), which plays an important role in the protection of plants from both high and low temperature stresses by preventing harmful oxidation of enzymes and membranes. Our objective was to investigate the interspecific variation for thermal dependency of glutathione reductase in sainfoin. Large variation among species was found for: (i) the minimum apparent Km (0.4-2.5 μM NADPH), (ii) the temperature at which the minimum apparent Km was observed (15°-5°C), and (iii) the thermal kinetic windows (2°-30°C width) over a 15°-45°C temperature gradient. In general, tetraploid species had narrower (≤17°C) thermal kinetic windows than did diploid species (∼30°C), with one exception among the diploids. Within the tetraploid species, the cultivars of O. viciifolia had a broader thermal kinetic window (≥7°C) than the plant introduction (PI 212241, >2 °C) itself.