Herbs: shoots ± pubescent, hairs eglandular. Stems procumbent to ascending. Stipules: margins deeply dentate to laciniate. Leaflets: blades cuneate to obovate, 8–15 × 7–12 mm, mar­gins serrate on distal 1/2, rarely incised or laciniate. Inflorescences 1–3(–5)-flowered, racemes. Flowers 6–8 mm; calyx pubescent, hairs eglandular, lobes longer than tube; corolla yellow, less than 2 times length of calyx. Legumes with 2.5–8 coils, coils often strongly adpressed, usually cylindrical, 6–12 × 7–12 mm, often pubescent, sometimes glabrescent, hairs eglandular, margin usually prickly, rarely prickleless, prickles often at 90° to plane of coil, pointed to ends of pod, very stocky and difficult to bend, base often round, 2 roots often apparent at maturity; faces very hard at maturity, coil face with slightly branched and anastomosing veins, veins weakly to moderately curved. Seeds 2–25, yellow or brownish yellow, reniform, 2.5–4.5 × 1.3–2.5 mm; radicle less than 1/2 seed length. 2n = (14) 16.

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Roadsides, fallow ground, open woodlands, shrublands.
Elevation: 0–800 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Calif., Europe, w Asia, n Africa, introduced also in South America (Argentina, Uruguay), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.

Discussion

Medicago truncatula is the most important annual forage species of the genus, next in agricultural impor­tance only to M. sativa (alfalfa). It is grown in Australia and other Mediterranean climate regions around the world. The species is also being developed as a model legume plant in both classical and molecular gene­tic studies to elucidate the functions of its genes and to exploit its genome to improve seed quality and produc­tion of specific secondary metabolites.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.