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Medicago polymorpha
  • Toothed Bur-Clover

an annual 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 Loamy
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • ?
    Unknown
    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 polymorpha has 0 edible uses listed

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked as a potherb[1][2][3]. Only the young leaves are eaten raw[4]. Plants can be harvested on a cut and come again basis, the first harvest can be made about one month after sowing, plants can then be harvested another 3 - 4 times at intervals of a few weeks[5]. The young leaves contain about 6% protein, 0.14% fat, 9.5% carbohydrate, 1.4% ash. They are rich in vitamins A, C, and E[2].

Flowers - raw or cooked[6][3].

Seed - cooked[7]. The seed can be parched, ground into a powder and mixed with water to make a mush[7].

Flowers

Unknown use

Leaves

Unknown use

Seed

Unknown use

Material uses

Used as a green manure, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen[8][5].
There are no material uses listed for Medicago polymorpha.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

There are no medicinal uses listed for Medicago polymorpha.

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[5]. The seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn[5].

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



Cultivation

Prefers a dry neutral soil and dislikes shade. Prefers a light well-drained soil[5].

A very variable plant[9]. Cultivated for its edible leaves in China[5].

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[10]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Medicago polymorpha. 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 polymorpha.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Medicago polymorpha
Genus
Medicago
Family
Leguminosae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Medicinal uses
Material uses & Functions
[8][5]
Botanic
[9][10]
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
?
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy
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
    Growth Rate
    ?
    Mature Size
    0.6 x meters
    Fertility
    self fertile
    Pollinators
    Self
    Flower Colour
    ?
    Flower Type
    hermaphrodite

    "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

    "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.


    "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.


    "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.






    References

    1. ? 1.01.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
    2. ? 2.02.12.2 Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre (1977-00-00)
    3. ? 3.03.13.2 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
    4. ? 4.04.1 Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)
    5. ? 5.05.15.25.35.45.55.65.7 Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray ISBN 0-7195-4781-4 (1991-00-00)
    6. ? 6.06.1 Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)
    7. ? 7.07.17.2 Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-453-9 (1998-00-00)
    8. ? 8.08.1 Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (1959-00-00)
    9. ? 9.09.1 Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press (1962-00-00)
    10. ? 10.010.1 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

    "image:Medicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

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    Facts about "Medicago polymorpha"RDF feed
    Article is incompleteYes +
    Article requires citationsNo +
    Article requires cleanupYes +
    Belongs to familyLeguminosae +
    Belongs to genusMedicago +
    Functions asGreen manure + and Nitrogen fixer +
    Has common nameToothed Bur-Clover +
    Has drought toleranceIntolerant +
    Has edible partFlowers +, Leaves + and Seeds +
    Has edible useUnknown use +
    Has fertility typeSelf fertile + and Self +
    Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
    Has imageMedicago polymorpha (Flower).jpg +
    Has lifecycle typeAnnual +
    Has mature height0.6 +
    Has primary imageMedicago_polymorpha_(Flower).jpg +
    Has search namemedicago polymorpha + and x +
    Has shade toleranceNo shade +
    Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
    Has soil teloamyture preferenceLoamy +
    Has soil tesandyture preferenceSandy +
    Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
    Has sun preferenceFull sun +
    Has taxonomy nameMedicago polymorpha +
    Has water requirementsmoderate +
    Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
    Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
    Uses mature size measurement unitMeters +