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Medicago lupulina
  • Black Medick

an annual or perennial member of the Medicago genus in the family Leguminosae.

248px
Niche
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The ecosystem niches for this plant are unknown. Do you know them? Click the edit button to add them!
Functions
  • Green manure
    Green manure
    There are no details available for this function.
  • Nitrogen fixer
    Nitrogen fixer
    There are no details available for this function.
Light
  • Full sun
    Full sun
    The amount of sun exposure that a plant prefers in ideal conditions.
    Key
  • no shade
    No shade
    The amount of shade a plant will tolerate without adverse health affects.
    Key
Water
  • Water Requirementsmoderate
    Moderate
    The amount of water a plant needs for healthy growth, relative to other plants.
    Key
Soil
  • acid,neutral,alkaline
    Acid to Alkaline
    The PH range (acidity or alkilinity) of the growth medium ideal for healthy nutrient absorbtion.
    Key
  • Sandy to Clay
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • 5
    Zone 5
    The USDA Hardiness scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the minimum temperature a plant can survive.
    Key
    0< -53.9ºC< -65ºF
    1-51.1ºC-60ºF
    2-45.6ºC-50F
    3-40ºC-40ºF
    4-34.4ºC-30ºF
    5-28.9ºC-20ºF
    6-23.3ºC-10ºF
    7-17.8ºC0ºF
    8-12.2C10ºF
    9-6.7ºC20ºF
    10-1.1ºC30ºF
    114.4ºC40ºF
    12> 10ºC> 5ºF
  • ?
    Unknown
    The AHS Heat scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the number of days per year a plant requires a temperature exceeding 30ºC (86ºF).
    Key
    11
    21 - 7
    38 - 14
    415 - 30
    531 - 45
    646 - 60
    761 - 90
    891 - 120
    9121 - 150
    10151 - 180
    11181 - 210
    12181 - 210
Medicago lupulina has 0 edible uses listed
Medicago lupulina has 0 medicinal uses listed

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Leaves - cooked[1]. Used as a potherb[2]. A nutritional analysis is available[3]. Seed - cooked[4][1][5]. Parched and eaten or ground into a powder[2]. The seed is said to contain trypsin inhibitors[3]. These can interfere with certain enzymes that help in the digestion of proteins, but are normally destroyed if the seed is sprouted first.

Leaves

Unknown use

Seed

Unknown use

Material uses

A good green manure plant, it is fairly deep rooted, has good resistance to 'Clover rot' but it is not very fast growing[6]. It can be undersown with cereals, succeeding even in a wet season[6].
There are no material uses listed for Medicago lupulina.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

Aqueous extracts of the plant have antibacterial properties against micro-organisms[3][7]. The plant is lenitive[3][7].

Unknown part

Antibacterial
Lenitive

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Green manure


Nitrogen fixer

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ[8]. The seed can also be sown in situ in autumn. Green manure crops can be sown in situ from early spring until early autumn[6]. (the later sowings are for an over-wintering crop)

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Medicago lupulina. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.



Cultivation

Dislikes acid soils[6]. (This conflicts with the notes on its habitat above.) Dislikes shade.

A good food plant for many caterpillars[9].

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[8].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Medicago lupulina. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Medicago lupulina.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Medicago lupulina
Genus
Medicago
Family
Leguminosae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3][4][5]
Medicinal uses
[3][7]
Material uses & Functions
[6]
Botanic
[10][8]
Propagation
Cultivation
Environment
Cultivation
Uses
Edible uses
None listed.
Material uses
None listed.
Medicinal uses
None listed.
Functions & Nature
Functions
Green manure, Nitrogen fixer
Provides forage for
Provides shelter for
Environment
Hardiness Zone
5
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil Water Retention
well drained
Environmental Tolerances
    Ecosystems
    Native Climate Zones
    None listed.
    Adapted Climate Zones
    None listed.
    Native Geographical Range
    None listed.
    Native Environment
    None listed.
    Ecosystem Niche
    None listed.
    Root Zone Tendancy
    None listed.
    Life
    Deciduous or Evergreen
    ?
    Herbaceous or Woody
    ?
    Life Cycle
    annual, perennial
    Growth Rate
    moderate
    Mature Size
    0.45 x meters
    Fertility
    self fertile
    Pollinators
    Bees, Lepidoptera, Self
    Flower Colour
    ?
    Flower Type
    hermaphrodite

    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.


    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.






    References

    1. ? 1.01.11.2 Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)
    2. ? 2.02.12.2 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
    3. ? 3.03.13.23.33.43.5 Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-917256-20-4 (1985-00-00)
    4. ? 4.04.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
    5. ? 5.05.1 Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. ()
    6. ? 6.06.16.26.36.4 Woodward. L. Burge. P. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre. (1982-00-00)
    7. ? 7.07.17.2 Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. (1986-00-00)
    8. ? 8.08.18.2 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
    9. ? Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan ISBN 0-330-26642-x (1982-00-00)
    10. ? Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press (1962-00-00)

    Cite error: <ref> tag with name "PFAFimport-1" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.

    "image:Medicago lupulina.jpeg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

    Retrieved from "https://practicalplants.org/w/index.php?title=Medicago_lupulina&oldid=78634"
    Facts about "Medicago lupulina"RDF feed
    Article is incompleteYes +
    Article requires citationsNo +
    Article requires cleanupYes +
    Belongs to familyLeguminosae +
    Belongs to genusMedicago +
    Functions asGreen manure + and Nitrogen fixer +
    Has binomial nameMedicago lupulina +
    Has common nameBlack Medick +
    Has drought toleranceIntolerant +
    Has edible partLeaves + and Seed +
    Has edible useUnknown use +
    Has fertility typeSelf fertile +, Bees +, Lepidoptera + and Self +
    Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
    Has growth rateModerate +
    Has hardiness zone5 +
    Has imageMedicago lupulina.jpeg +
    Has lifecycle typeAnnual + and Perennial +
    Has mature height0.45 +
    Has medicinal partUnknown part +
    Has medicinal useAntibacterial + and Lenitive +
    Has primary imageMedicago lupulina.jpeg +
    Has search namemedicago lupulina + and black medick +
    Has shade toleranceNo shade +
    Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
    Has soil texture preferenceSandy +, Loamy + and Clay +
    Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
    Has sun preferenceFull sun +
    Has taxonomic rankSpecies +
    Has taxonomy nameMedicago lupulina +
    Has water requirementsmoderate +
    Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
    PFAF cultivation notes migratedNo +
    PFAF edible use notes migratedNo +
    PFAF material use notes migratedNo +
    PFAF medicinal use notes migratedNo +
    PFAF propagation notes migratedNo +
    PFAF toxicity notes migratedYes +
    Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
    Uses mature size measurement unitMeters +
    Has subobjectThis property is a special property in this wiki.Medicago lupulina +, Medicago lupulina +, Medicago lupulina + and Medicago lupulina +