Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Medicago arabica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Spotted Medick from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medicago arabica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago arabica
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago arabica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-16-005:
Medicago arabica FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago arabica
COMMON NAME:
Spotted Medick, Spotted Bur-clover
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_mear_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_151
March Greenville County SC
Stipules shallowly lacerate, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_155
March Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_158
March Greenville County SC
Leaflets 0.7-1.1 x long as wide, leaflet tip usually strongly notched, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_160
March Greenville County SC
Legume spirally coiled with a double row of curved spines 2-3mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm41810_358
April Spartanburg County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm42411_213
April Spartanburg County SC
Seed pods spirally twisted and covered with spines, per Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm4911_101
April Spartanburg County SC
Racemes typically 1-5 flowers. Peduncles 1-2.5cm. Petals yellow, 4-5mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm4911_103
April Spartanburg County SC
Leaflets usually with a conspicuous reddish-purple spot, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
leaves that are trifoliolate and pinnately compound
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Medicago arabica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medicago arabica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago arabica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago arabica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-16-005:
Medicago arabica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago arabica
3464
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Mediterranean Europe
Uncommon (rare in GA Piedmont & Mountains, rare in NC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellow
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-toothed campanulate calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Inflorescence an axillary raceme
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".