Black Medick

s m

5 years ago

Black Medick Quick Facts
Name:	Black Medick
Scientific Name:	Medicago lupulina
Colors	Black
Shapes	2-3 mm

Black medick belongs to the member of pea family or Fabaceae. It is a low trailing annual, biennial or short lived perennial which reaches 1 to 2 feet length. Stems are prostate, slender, four angled, branched at base and glabrous to hairy. Leaves are pinnately trifoliate. Leaflets are rounded, ovate, finely pubescent and ½ inch long. Flowers are small, bright yellow and rounded to slightly elongated and borne in dense clusters which measures ½ to ¾ inch long. Inflorescence is a rounded to slightly elongated cluster of 10 to 50 tiny flowers. Seeds are kidney shaped, gold or brown and 1/16 inches long.

It is native to Europe, near east, north Africa and most of Asia including China, India and Korea. It is naturalized in central Asia, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States and South America. It is found throughout United States including Alaska and Hawaii. It thrives well in dry to moist and well drained soils.

Black Medick Image Gallery

Black-Medick-flower

Black-Medick-flowers-and-buds

Black-Medick-leaves

Black-Medick-plant-illustration

Black-Medick-seeds

Black-Medick-stem

Flower

Corolla is yellow, zygomorphic and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.12 in.) long and fused at base. Calyx is five lobed. Inflorescence is an axillary, globose-elongated, long stalked and dense raceme.

Leaves

Leaves are stalked, stipulate and alternate. Leaflets are obovate having notched tips and sharp pointed or tip with toothed margins.

Fruit

Fruits are kidney shaped, glabrous, net veined, coiled and 1.5-3 mm (0.06-0.12 in.) long. It is a one seeded, brownish black and indehiscent pod.

Habitat

Medicago lupulina is found in roadsides, lawns, waste ground, harbours, railway yards and shores.