Herbs: shoots usually pubes­cent, hairs eglandular and glan­dular. Stems usually ascending, sometimes prostrate or decum­bent. Stipules: margins dentate, incised, or laciniate. Leaflets: blades obovate, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or oblance­olate, 10–25 × 5–12 mm, margins serrate on distal 2/3 or less. Inflorescences 1–3(or 4)-flowered, racemes or heads. Flowers 6–9 mm; calyx pubescent, hairs glandu­lar, sometimes also eglandular, lobes equal to or longer than tube; corolla yellow to orange-yellow, less than 2 times length of calyx. Legumes with (4–)5–7(–8) coils, coils concave (“bowl-like”) and imbricated, stacked within each other, convex surface facing pod base, 7–20 × 7–15(–19) mm, with glandular hairs, margin prickle­less; coil face with dense net of veins. Seeds 5–15, light yellow to brown, reniform, 4–7 × 2.5–4 mm; radicle less than 1/2 seed length. 2n = 16, 28, 30, 32.

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Meadows, fallow fields, margins of woods.
Elevation: 0–300 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Calif., Md., s Europe, w Asia, n Africa, introduced also in South America (Argentina, Uruguay), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.

Discussion

Medicago scutellata is one of the principal annual species of the genus from which forage cultivars have been developed, mainly in Australia during the latter half of the twentieth century. In Victorian times, the plant was popular in gardens, and the species is occasionally used as an ornamental cover for dry, sunny banks. In the flora area, it has been found in California (E. Dean et al. 2008) and Maryland (C. F. Reed 1964).

Most chromosome counts are 2n = 32; however, G. R. Bauchan and J. H. Elgin (1984) found only 2n = 30 in numerous plants, and pointed out that the large chro­mosomal satellites present in this species may have led to the erroneous chromosome counts of 2n = 32.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.