Black medic

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Black medic

Black medic pubescence

Black medic

Black medic

Black medic

Black medic inflorescences

Black medic

Black medic habit

Morphology

Stem

Prostrate or ascending, often much branched at base, 2 to 32 inches long, nearly smooth to soft- or finely-hairy.

Leaves

Alternate, pinnately 3-foliolate; stalks up to 1.2 inches long; stipules lanceolate to ovate, entire or toothed, united to stalk for 1/4 to 1/2 of length; leaflets elliptic, egg-shaped, rhombic, or oblong wedge-shaped, 1/5 to 4/5 inch long, sparsely to densely hairy, margins minutely toothed in upper 1/2, tips rounded to notched and usually with short, abrupt points

Inflorescence

Racemes, 8- to 50-flowered, spherical to short-cylindric, 1/4 to 2/5 inch long, on stalks 1-4 times longer than leaves.

Flower

Papilionaceous, about 1/10 inch long, yellow or cream; stamens 10, in 2 groups.

Fruit

Pods, less than 1/8 inch long, curved, kidney-shaped, black at maturity; seed 1, 1/12 inch long, olive, brown or black.

Ecology

Habitat

Lawns, waste places, roadsides, stream valleys, pastures, fields, and prairie ravines.

Distribution

Principally east 2/3 of Kansas.

Reproduction

The seeds can remain viable in the soil for years.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Black medic is palatable to livestock and has fair forage value, but is generally not considered a good forage. Will cause bloat if over-consumed.

Uses

Deer eat the leaves, and game birds the seeds. Sometimes planted for soil improvement.

Additional Notes