Medicago minima (L.) Bartal.

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Medicago

Characteristics

Erect or procumbent, annual herb; stems densely villous, particularly in upper part. Lvs densely hairy on petiole and both surfaces of leaflets; petioles c. 2-10 mm long; leaflets usually narrowly obovate, usually slightly emarginate, sometimes acute or obtuse, mucronate, obtuse to cuneate at base, serrate near apex, uniform in colour, c. 5-10 mm long; terminal petiolule 1-4 mm long; lateral petiolules < 1 mm long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, usually shallowly dentate, sometimes entire, cordate at base. Infl. 1-6-flowered; peduncles densely hairy, usually ± = petiole; pedicel usually < calyx tube, sometimes ± = tube. Calyx moderately to densely hairy; calyx teeth narrowly triangular, > tube. Corolla yellow, 3-4 mm long. Pod sparsely to moderately hairy, coiled in 3-5 turns without a hole in the centre, very faintly reticulately veined or ± smooth, with a double row of spines at the margin, 4-6 mm diam. (excluding spines), few-seeded; seeds yellow to brown, 2-3 mm long.
More
Much like no. 3 [Medicago polymorpha L.], but softly pubescent throughout; stipules entire or minutely toothed; lvs often smaller and shorter-petiolate; peduncles surpassed by the subtending lvs; 2n=16. Native of Eurasia, established as a weed in sandy soil from se. Va. to Fla. and Tex., and occasionally adventive farther n. May–Sept.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread epizoochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.08 - 0.1
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.25
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses animal food environmental use fodder forage medicinal poison vertebrate poison
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 15 - 20
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Medicago minima world distribution map, present in New Zealand

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000188776
COL ID -
BDTFX ID 41352
INPN ID 137645
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Medicago minima f. viscida Medicago minima Medicago minima subvar. pubescens Medicago minima subvar. stenophylla Medicago minima subvar. viscida Medicago minima f. mollissima Medicago minima f. pubescens Medicago minima subvar. canescens Medicago minima subvar. elongata Medicago arabica var. echinata Medicago minima subsp. pulchella Medicago minima var. canescens Medicago minima var. elongata Medicago minima var. exilis Medicago minima var. graeca Medicago minima var. hirsuta Medicago minima var. intermedia Medicago minima var. longispina Medicago minima var. maior Medicago minima var. maritima Medicago minima var. mollissima Medicago minima var. pubescens Medicago minima var. stenophylla Medicago minima var. viscida Medicago minima var. vulgaris