Blooms: March - June
Habit: vine,herb
Duration: annual,perennial
Origin: Introduced
Distribution: Introduced from Europe and found almost throughout the United States; escecially abundant west of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada.
Habitat: Waste ground and disturbed areas, mostly at low elevations.
Habit: vine,herb
Duration: annual,perennial
Origin: Introduced
Distribution: Introduced from Europe and found almost throughout the United States; escecially abundant west of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada.
Habitat: Waste ground and disturbed areas, mostly at low elevations.
Species Description:
General: Usually glabrous annual, the stems 1-4 dm. long, prostrate to nearly erect.
Leaves: Leaves trifoliate, the leaflets obovate or obcordate with a wedge-shaped base, 1-1.5 cm, long, not spotted, denticulate at the apex; stipules lacerated for over half their width.
Flowers: Flowers 2-5 on fairly short peduncles arising from the leaf axils; calyx 3 mm. long, the 5 teeth slightly longer than the tube; corolla pea-like, yellow, 4-5 mm. long, the banner erect, much longer than the wings and keel.
Fruits: Pod spirally coiled, the margins narrowly keeled, spineless, or with two rows of divergent prickles up to 3 mm. long.
General: Usually glabrous annual, the stems 1-4 dm. long, prostrate to nearly erect.
Leaves: Leaves trifoliate, the leaflets obovate or obcordate with a wedge-shaped base, 1-1.5 cm, long, not spotted, denticulate at the apex; stipules lacerated for over half their width.
Flowers: Flowers 2-5 on fairly short peduncles arising from the leaf axils; calyx 3 mm. long, the 5 teeth slightly longer than the tube; corolla pea-like, yellow, 4-5 mm. long, the banner erect, much longer than the wings and keel.
Fruits: Pod spirally coiled, the margins narrowly keeled, spineless, or with two rows of divergent prickles up to 3 mm. long.
Accepted Name:
Medicago polymorpha L.Synonyms:
Medicago apiculata auct. non Willd.
Medicago hispida Gaertn.
Medicago hispida Gaertn. var. apiculata (Willd.) Urban
Medicago hispida Gaertn. var. confinis (W.D.J. Koch) Burnat
Medicago polymorpha L. var. brevispina (Benth.) Heyn
Medicago polymorpha L. var. ciliaris (Ser.) Shinners
Medicago polymorpha L. var. polygyra (Urban) Shinners
Medicago polymorpha L. var. tricycla (Gren. & Godr.) Shinners
Medicago polymorpha L. var. vulgaris (Benth.) Shinners
Treated in Flora of the PNW as:
Medicago hispida
Additional Resources:
PNW Herbaria Specimens: View list of Medicago polymorpha specimens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WTU Herbarium Specimens: View list of Medicago polymorpha specimens in the WTU Herbarium database.
Washington Flora Checklist: Medicago polymorpha treatment.
E-Flora BC: Medicago polymorpha atlas page.
CalPhotos: Medicago polymorpha images.
USDA Plants Database: Medicago polymorpha.
Richard Old
Richard Old
Richard Old
Richard Old
Fred Weinmann, 2006
Fred Weinmann, 2006
Fred Weinmann, 2006
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2009
G. D. Carr, 2012
G. D. Carr, 2012
|
©2013 Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. All Rights Reserved. Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010, Phone: 206-543-5590. On the UW campus at 17th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street. |
 WA Native Plant Society |
