Black medick is a prostrate, spreading annual, common in open, disturbed places.
The flowers are terminal, in dense rounded clusters, very small, yellow, in the typical configuration of members of the pea family. Blooms March–November.
The leaves are alternate, compound with 3 leaflets to ¾ inch long, the leaflets shallowly toothed.
The stems are usually angled or square, with soft hairs.
The fruit is a tiny, coiled, 1-seeded pod, almost black.
Similar species: There are 5 species of Medicago in Missouri, including Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and 3 species of bur clover.
In terms of overall look, including habitat, growth habit, and flower color, bird's-foot trefoil is similar at a glance. Both are very common and form low-spreading colonies along roadsides, and both have bright yellow flowers. Looking more closely, however, the flower form is quite different.
Height: to 20 inches.
Statewide; introduced from Eurasia.
Habitat and Conservation
Occurs in fields, lawns, waste places, and along roads and railroads.
A native of Eurasia and Africa, introduced and naturalized across much of North America.
Status
Nonnative annual wildflower, often considered a weed. Native to Eurasia. Introduced for agricultural and soil conservation purposes.
Human Connections
Like other legumes, this plant fixes nitrogen in the soil, and although it is usually considered a weed, it helps to bind and improve disturbed soils, and bees harvest nectar from the flowers to make honey.
Black medick probably has nothing to do with medicine; its name comes from the genus name, Medicago.
It is a nutritious but low-yielding legume for grazing animals and is not much planted in our area.
Ecosystem Connections
Although it is not much planted as a pasture crop, that doesn't mean herbivores don't eat it. Wild herbivores such as woodchucks, deer, mice, and others nibble the foliage.
The alfalfa butterfly is named for its larval diet of plants in the genus Medicago.
