Spotted Medick

(Medicago arabica)

 

   

 

 

Color Drawing: O. W. Thome (1885-1905), Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica [L.] Huds.)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Plant reclines on the ground. Flowers yellow, unobtrusive, pealike, arranged in a small, loose cluster. Seed pods disk-shaped, covered with hooked barbs. Stems reclining. Leaf and flower stalks with large, toothed bracts at their bases. Leaves with 3 leaflets, each leaflet with a black spot in the center.

Distribution: A weed, but local in distribution, from New England to Florida and Texas. Also occurs along the Pacific Coast.

Habitat: Spotted Medick is a weed of disturbed areas such as empty lots, fields, roadsides, and lawns.

Flowering period: April to October.

Similar Species: The combination of yellow flowers, spotted leaves, and the spiny bracts at the base of each flower or leaf stalk easily identify this species.

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