MEDICAGO LITTORALIS

Family and Genus:- See- LEGUMINOSAE/Subgen. CYMATIUM

Common Name:- Coastal medick

Homotypic Synonyms:- Medica littoralis, Medicago truncatula subsp.

littoralis.

Meaning:- Medicago (Gr) Median-grass, A name used by the Greek physician

and botanist Dioscorides, from a Persian name for lucerne, or medick.

Littoralis (L) Growing by the sea-shore..

General description:- Low to short spreading or prostrate, sparsely villous annual.

Stem:-

1) Up to 40(-110) cm., often purplish.

Leaves:-

1) Leaflets, obtriangular, usually truncate and dentate in front, ± pilose on both

surfaces.

2) Stipules, lanceolate, incise-dentate.

Flowers:-

1) Peduncles, rather short (± equalling petiole), 1-3-flowered.

2) Corolla, 4-6 mm, yellow.

Fruit:-

1) Legume, shortly cylindrical, c. 5 mm in diam. (not including spines), with 3-6

tightly appressed coils of equal diam, glabrous, usually with well-developed,

stout submarginal spines, surface of the coils with transverse veins reaching the

submarginal vein; dorsal suture not raised.

Key features:-

1) Legume, pubescent and glandular; margin with distinct (usually long) spines.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Mainly on sandy beaches and loamy coastal flats, occasionally in dry

open shrubby vegetation, dolines and field margins to 500 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Greece mainly along the coasts. - Mediterranean area

and SW Asia, Fairly widespread around the coastal areas of Crete.

Flowering time:- Apr-June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton