Fabaceae
Medicago

Medicago arabica (L.) Huds.

First published in Fl. Angl.: 288 (1762)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Canary Islands, W. Europe to Medit and Caucasus. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Mediterranean grasslands.
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
Vernacular
Arabischer Schneckenklee, Burclover, Luzerne D'Arabie, Luzerne Tachee, Lyutzerna Araviiskaya, Spotted Bur Medick, Spotted Burclover, Spotted Medick
[ILDIS]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Seed Collecting Guide. RBG Kew (2013-2016)

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb 10-30(-100) cm tall, branching from the base, branches proumbent or ascending
Morphology Leaves Stipules
stipules ovate to sagittate, deeply dentate to lobed
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
leaflets 8-25 mm long by 6-25 mm wide, 1-1.5 times as long as broad, cuneate, obovate or orbicular, margin serrate in upper third, often with a dark patch in the centre of upper surface, glabrous above, hairs present below
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
composed of (1-)2-5(-8) flowers, peduncle about same length as subtending petiole
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
flowers 4-5 mm long, pedicel 1-2 mm; calyx 1.5-3 mm, teeth as long as or longer than tube; corolla usually yellow, about twice the length of calyx or shorter
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
young pod protruding sideways from calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
5-8 per pod, 2-3.5 mm long, yellow or yellow-brown. mature pod glabrous, coils adpressed, shortly ellipsoid, discoid or cylindriform, (4-)5-7(-8) mm diameter, with flexible, hooked spines up to 4 mm long on dorsal suture, often intermeshing, end view of coil shows a central groove flanked by lateral grooves to form a pattern of 3 grooves separating 4 ridges, venation pattern on faces of coils conspicuously anastomosing in outer 1/3, only a few curving veins on inner 2/3
Ecology
grassy, moist s, e.g. forest edges, scrub thickets, meadows. also a weed of cultivated or disturbed areas. altitude 0 - 1300 m.
Distribution
Southern and Eastern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and Middle East. introduced into Australia, new Zealand, USA. and Chile.
Conservation
Near endangered
Phenology
Flower (march - may), fruit (june - august)
[SCG]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
Vernacular
Lyutzerna Talyshskaya
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Environmental, Forage
[ILDIS]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Seed Collection Guides

    • Seed Collection Guides
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0