Black medic
June 5, 2015
Medicago lupulina L. Fabaceae (Legume family)
Life cycle
Prostrate, trailing summer annual.
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.
Stems
Prostrate, trailing to ascending stems are wiry, usually hairy, multibranched from the base and up to 2 feet long.
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
Reproduction
Seeds.
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