Black Medick - Medicago lupulina

Description

Low, often prostrate, hairy plant. Leaves are trifoliate and widest above the middle, with a nerve protruding at the broad end of each leaflet in the centre. Flowers yellow, 2 to 3 mm, many to a raceme. Pods coiled, sickle or kidney shaped, 1.5 to 3 mm, black when ripe.

Similar Species

Hop-trefoils - Trifolium dubium, campestre and micranthum

Identification difficulty
ID guidance

If there aren't any fruits, distinguished from the Hop-trefoils by the apiculate leaves - i.e. with a short fine 'needle' at the apex of the leaf. The leaves are also much hairier than the leaves of Hop-trefoils.

Recording advice

General photo in habitat, and close up of leaves and/or seed pods

Habitat

Grass verges, mown areas.

When to see it

April to September.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

Common in England and Wales, scarcer further north, mainly coastal in Scotland.

VC55 Status

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 538 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Black Medick
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Fabales
Family:
Fabaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
262
First record:
21/06/2001 (Jane McPhail;John Kramer)
Last record:
10/08/2023 (Smith, Peter)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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Latest images

Latest records

Photo of the association

Liriomyza congesta

The yellow larvae of the fly Liriomyza congesta mine the leaves of various Legumes such as Peas, Medicks, Lucernes and Vetches. The mine is on the upper surface of the leaf and the frass shows in a green strips.