Burclover (MatBio: HERBS OF FOREST & FIELD - Matanzas Biodiversity)

Burclover

Medicago polymorpha

Summary ⁷

Medicago polymorpha is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation. Common names include California burclover, toothed bur clover, toothed medick and burr medic.

Description ⁸

Medicago polymorpha L., burclover, is a shallow-rooted annual legume. The characteristic growth habit of burclover is one of numerous prostrate stems branching from the crown and spreading outward 6 to 30 inches. Where thick stands develop stems may become erect, obtaining heights of 18 to 24 inches in more favorable years. The leaves are subglabrous and clover-like in appearance, with leaflets normally wedge-shaped and toothed toward the top. The inflorescence is usually quite limited, presenting only a few small, yellow, pea-like flowers. The several-seeded fruit is a flattened, coiled pod, commonly up to 1/4 inch in width and fringed with a double row of conspicuous, hooked spines. Well developed plants may produce more than 1,000 pods. The seed is rather large for a legume of this type, usually developing to over 3/32 inch in length.

Although often considered an indigenous California plant, burclover was introduced from southern Europe. Burclover has become extensively naturalized in the United States from cultivation as a hay or cover crop. It is one of the more widely recognized Medicago species, especially west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, where it is most abundant.

Sources and Credits

(c) emily, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/66541296@N00/6576819
(c) licensed media from BioImages DwCA without owner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/../image.php?id=104314
(c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/11012847594_99321caed0_o.jpg
(c) 2011 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=369099&one=T
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda
(c) "<a href=""http://nt.ars-grin.gov/"">ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory</a>. Spain.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=mepo3_002_ahp.tif
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_polymorpha
(c) USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/1387917

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