Relatives
Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel. - Littoral Medick.
Taxonomic position.
Family Fabaceae Lindl., genus Medicago L.Synonyms.
Medicago arenaria Ten., Medicago cylindracea DC., Medicago litoralis Loisel., Medicago littoralis Loisel. subsp. cylindracea (DC.) Nyman, Medicago littoralis Loisel. subsp. tricycla (DC.) Lainz., Medicago striata sensu auct. ital., Medicago subinermis Bertol., Medicago tricycla DC., Medicago truncatula Gaertn. subsp. littoralis (Loisel.) Ponert.Morphology and biology.
Annual herbaceous plant. Roots slender, quite short. Stems 20-40 cm tall, slender, glabrous in lower part, pubescent in upper part, intensely branching, angular. Stipules small, lanceolate-triangular, with 2-3 deep acute teeth at the base. Leaf blades obcuneate, up to 10 mm long, with teeth in upper half, lower adpressedly hairy, above glabrous, light green. Inflorescence 1-3-flowered. Corolla sulphureous-yellow or orange-yellow. Pod 4-6 mm diameter, completely glabrous, with 3-5 twists. There are 2 deep grooves along dorsal suture, sometimes smoothing in mature age. Spines sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, slightly bent, quite slender, without hook at the apex. Flowers in May, fruits in June. Autogamous plant. 2n=16.Distribution.
At and near the Caspian Sea coast, less often at the Black Sea coast.Ecology.
Seaside sands, sandy and sandy-clay hills.Economic value.
Can be used as for sand fixing in coastal zone.References:
Goncharov PL., Lubenets PA. 1985. Biological aspects of medick cultivation. Novosibirsk: Nauka. 253 p. (In Russian).Grossheim AA. 1945. Medick - Medicago L. In: Shishkin BK., ed. 1945. Flora URSS. V.11. P.129-176. (In Russian).
Grossheim AA. 1952. Flora of Caucasus. 2nd ed. V.5. P.177-192. (In Russian).
Lesins KA., Lesins I. 1979. Genus Medicago (Leguminosae). A taxogenetic study. 228 p.