Black medic
June 5, 2015
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EmailMedicago lupulina L. Fabaceae (Legume family)
Life cycle
Prostrate, trailing summer annual.
Black medic plant.
Leaves
Alternate, compound – with three oval to eggshaped leaflets – hairless to sparsely hairy, shallowly toothed along the upper half and tipped with a small point. The central leaflet is found on a definite stalk; the two lateral leaflets are nearly stalkless. A pair of stipules is present at the base of each petiole.
Black medic leaf.
Stems
Prostrate, trailing to ascending stems are wiry, usually hairy, multibranched from the base and up to 2 feet long.
Black medic stipule.
Flowers and fruit
Numerous, very small, yellow flowers are formed in dense, mostly globe-shaped, cloverlike clusters. Fruit are clusters of black, coiled, kidney- to bean-shaped, one-seeded pods
Black medic flower (left). Black medic fruit (right).
Reproduction
Seeds.
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