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Medicago lupulina L.
Black Medick
Hop Clover
Nonesuch
Not native to Florida
Frequently found in lawns and disturbed sites throughout much of Florida. Native to Europe, this plant is now distributed nearly worldwide.
This is an annual or short-lived perennial growing from 15cm to 80cm (6 to 31 in.) tall, with young stems often decumbent before becoming erect. The leaves are trifoliate, having three oval leaflets ending in a sharp point. The side leaflets are on short petioles with the center petiole being longer. The very small yellow flowers are bunched in tight racemes that are usually no larger than 8mm (5/16 in.). The fruit is a pod 1.5-3mm (1/16 to 1/8 in.) in diameter that hardens and turns black when mature and contains a single amber-colored seed.
Medicago lupulina is a member of the Fabaceae - Pea family.
Other species of the Medicago genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Medicago polymorpha - BURR CLOVER
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Apr 16, 2023
