Medicago lupulina L. var. glandulosa Neilr.
Medicago lupulina L.
Black medic, black medick, black meddick
Black medic is a low-growing clover-like plant. It is a member of the very large pea family. Bacteria on its roots trap nitrogen, allowing it to grow in low nitrogen soils. It lives for one or two seasons. It grows throughout the world.
Plants: Black medic is 6–31″ (15–80 cm) in height, and often remains much closer to the ground and spreading up to 2½′ (76 cm). It is easily confused with hop clovers.
Leaves: Compound, with three hairy oval leaflets. The two side leaflets are sessile, attaching directly to the stem, while the center leaflet has short petiole and a toothed tip.
Flowers: Compact globe-shaped bunches of 15-50 yellow flowers are each 1/16–⅛″ (2–3 mm) in size.
Fruits: Brown seed pods are hairy and coiled, in dense clusters. Each pod contains one seed.
Habitats: Prairies (black soil, clay), weedy meadows, old fields, cropland, pastures, vacant lots, landfills, cemeteries, lawns, areas along railroads and roadsides, and miscellaneous waste areas; common in low-cut lawns.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
Medicago lupulina L. var. cupaniana (Guss.) Boiss.
Medicago lupulina L. var. glandulosa Neilr.
Medicago lupulina L. var. glandulosa Neilr.
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 5″ (16 × 12 cm) 
6/1/2008 
5/24/2024 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 4 × 3½″ (10 × 8.6 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fabales | Legumes (pea and bean families) |
| Family | Fabaceae | Legume family (peas and beans) |
| Genus | Medicago | From Latin medica, “alfalfa, lucerne,” in turn from Greek μηδική (πόα), “Median (grass).’Latin medica ‘alfalfa, lucerne,’ from Greek: median μηδική (πόα), “grass” |
| Species | lupulina | From lupus, “wolf,” here meaning “hop-like” in its climbing |
Medicago lupulina description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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