Pea Family - Medicks, Melilots & Allies
Pea Family - Fabaceae
Identification
These are all members of the pea family with trifoliate leaves. This page includes the trefoils, melilots and medicks. Other members of the family with trifoliate leaves, including the bird's-foot-trefoils and some of the restharrows as well as a few other species can all be found on a separate page by clicking here.
White Melilot Melilotus albus
Native throughout most of Europe, Asia and North and East Africa, as well as widely introduced elsewhere across much of the world. A typical melilot in appearance with its long, narrow, upright flower spikes, but for the white flowers.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Ribbed Melilot Melilotus officinalis
Native throughout Europe, much of Northern and Western Asia and the Middle East. The flowers appear in more open spikes than those of other melilot species and have the keel noticeably shorter than the wings. The seed pods are hairless and have more or less parallel ridges runnning across them.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Italian Melilot Melilotus italicus
Native to the Mediterranean Region.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Small Melilot Melilotus indicus
Native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to India and China.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Furrowed Melilot Melilotus sulcatus
Native to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean Region.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Sicilian Melilot Melilotus siculus
Native to the Mediterranean Region.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
||
| |
|
Balansa's Fenugreek Trigonella balansae
Native to Greece and Turkey.
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
||
| |
|
Round-leaved Fenugreek Trigonella rotundifolia
Native to Greece and the Aegean Islands.
 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Common Lucerne Medicago sativa subsp. sativa
Considered native to the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to Western Asia and Iran, but abundantly planted as a fodder crop (as 'alfalfa') throughout much of the world. Plants many-branched, more or less upright to around 90cm in height. The flowers vary in colour from deep bluish-purple to pale blue or even sometimes white. The seed pods curl into spirals as they develop, with ripe seeds being tightly spiralled in two or more complete turns.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Sickle Medick Medicago falcata
Native across most of Europe and Asia. A rather sprawly perennial plant, growing to around 60cm or so in height, with leaflets typically narrower than those of Common Lucerne. Yellow flowers are carried in tight clusters. The seedheads become curved and sickle-shaped as they develop.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
Black Medick Medicago lupulina
Native throughout Europe and North Africa to Central and southern Asia and China.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|||
| |
Button Medick Medicago orbicularis
Native from Macaronesia through the Mediterranean region to Black Sea coasts. Common on sandy beaches.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Rugose Medick Medicago rugosa
Native to North African coastal regions and in the European Mediterranean region from Corsica and Sardinia eastwards to the Middle East. Seed pods glandular hairy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Sea Medick Medicago marina
Native from Macaronesia through the Mediterranean region to Black Sea coasts. Common on sandy beaches.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Strong-spined Medick Medicago truncatula
Native from Macaronesia, through the Mediterranean region to the Middle East. Pedicels aristate.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Rigid Medick Medicago rigidula
Native through the Mediterranean region to the Caucasus and western Asia. Seed pods glandular hairy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
||
| |
|
Shore Medick Medicago littoralis
Native from Macaronesia through the Mediterranean region to Black Sea coasts.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Turban Medick Medicago turbinata
Native throughout the Mediterranean region to Iraq.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Spotted Medick Medicago arabica
Native from the Canary Islands, through much of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin to the Caucasus.
 |
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Toothed Medick Medicago polymorpha
Native throughout much of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, eastward to Central Asia.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Crown Medick Medicago coronata
Native throughout the Mediterranean region to Western Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Medicago disciformis
Native to the Mediterranean region. Note the seed pod spines whih are distinctly arched backwards.
 |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Bur Medick Medicago minima
Native throughout most of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, eastwards to India and China.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Large-flowered Trefoil Trifolium grandiflorum
Native eastwards from Italy to Crimea, the Caucasus and through the Middle East to Iran.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Boissier's Trefoil Trifolium boissieri
Native to the Eastern Mediterranean, from Greece to Iraq.
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Hop Trefoil Trifolium campestre
Native throughout Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and western Asia. Widely introduced as a nitrogen-fixer and fodder plant elsewhere.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Slender Trefoil Trifolium micranthum
Native from Macaronesia and Western Europe eastwards through the Mediterranean Region to Iran. A low-growing annual to 10cm in height. Flowers are small and narrow, in open clusters of six or less. Leaves are trifoliate and clover-like. The seedheads develop as pendant clusters and do not inflate as they mature.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|