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black medic, hop clover

alfalfa, lucerne

Habit Plants annual, 10–45(80) cm. Plants perennial, 20–80 cm, glabrous to puberulent.
Stems

pubescent.

decumbent to erect, glabrous to puberulent.

Leaves

sub-palmate;

leaflets obovate; length ? width, 7–13(20) mm, bases cuneate;

margins distally serrate;

veins prominent;

tips obtuse to rounded;

surfaces slightly pubescent; more so abaxially;

petioles 2–10(15) mm;

petiolules 0.5–4 mm;

stipules 4–8 mm;

margins entire or toothed.

sub-palmate;

leaflets narrowly lanceolate to obovate; length > width, 8–29 mm, bases cuneate;

margins distally serrate;

veins prominent;

tips truncate to rounded;

surfaces pubescent;

petioles 3–15 mm;

petiolules 1–6 mm;

stipules 6–14 mm;

margins entire to sharply toothed.

Inflorescences

10–20-flowered; ovoid, 7–20 × 5–8 mm;

peduncles 10–30 mm;

pedicels 0.8–1 mm.

8–30-flowered; ovoid to oblong;

peduncles 8–40 mm;

pedicels 1–3 mm.

Flowers

calyces 1–1.5 mm;

corollas 2–3 mm, yellow.

calyces 4–5.5 mm;

corollas 8–10 mm, violet or variegated yellow-violet.

Fruits

reniform, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, becoming black with age, glabrous to pubescent, strongly concentric-veined, unarmed.

spirally coiled 2–3 turns, rarely sickle-shaped, with doughnut-like hole visible in center of coils, 3–5 mm, villous, unarmed.

Seeds

1; oval to reniform, 1.5–2 × 1–1.2 mm, yellow to olive-green.

several, reniform, 1–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, yellow; brownish; greenish yellow or violet-brown.

2n

= 16,32.

=16, 32.

Medicago lupulina

Medicago sativa

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Riparian areas, meadows, lawns, roadsides, disturbed areas. Flowering May–Jul. 0–1600 m. All ecoregions. CA, ID, NV, WA; worldwide. Exotic.

Medicago lupulina is characterized by dense, ovoid inflorescences consisting of ten or more tiny yellow flowers. This is the only species of Medicago in Oregon with one-seeded fruits.

Sandy or rocky areas, riparian areas, fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. Flowering Jun–Aug. 0–1500 m. BR, Casc, Col, CR, ECas, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; worldwide. Exotic.

Medicago sativa is the only Oregon species with purple or variegated flowers and with coiled, non-spiny fruits containing several seeds. It also has the largest flowers (approaching 1 cm in length) and more flowers per inflorescence than most of our other species. Medicago sativa is commonly used as a cover crop or green manure.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 707
Nurul Khalib, Melanie Link-Perez
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 709
Nurul Khalib, Melanie Link-Perez
Sibling taxa
M. arabica, M. falcata, M. minima, M. polymorpha, M. praecox, M. sativa, M. turbinata
M. arabica, M. falcata, M. lupulina, M. minima, M. polymorpha, M. praecox, M. turbinata
Synonyms Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
Web links