Medicago L.

56. Medicago L. View in CoL 1

Annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs. Leaves 3-foliolate, stipulate. Flowers in axillary pedunculate racemes. Calyx campanulate, with 5 nearly equal teeth; corolla caducous; stamens diadelphous; filaments filiform. Legume longer than the calyx, nearly always indéhiscent, usually spirally coiled, sometimes falcate, reniform or almost straight, often spiny. Seeds 1 -several.

All the annual species grow in more or less open habitats, such as sea-shores, roadsides, cultivated fields or grassy places.

Literature: R. Nègre, Trav. Inst. Sci. Chérif. ser. bot., 5: 1-119 (1956); Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Afr. NordStV. 267-314 (1959). S. J. van Ooststroom & Th. Reichgelt , Acta Bot. Neerl. 7: 90-123 (1958). I. Urban, Verh. Bot. Ver. Brandenb. 15: 1-85 (1873). C. C. Heyn, Scripta Acad. Hierosol. 12 (1963).

1 Margin of legume with one longitudinal vein, with which the transverse veins join, sometimes running into spines, without

a strong submarginal vein close to the marginal one

2 Legume± falcateorreniform

3 Legume up to 3 mm, reniform; seed solitary

4 Racemes 10- to 50-flowered; transverse veins of legume slightly anastomosing, forming an elongated network

1. lupulina 4 Racemes 3- to 10-flowered; transverse veins oflegume freely anastomosing, forming a ± isodiametric network

2. secundiflora 3 Legumemorethan 3 mm, ±falcate; seedsusuallyseveral

5 Pedicels erect in fruit 5. sativa 5 Pedicels deflexed in fruit

6 Stipules dentate; legume with transverse veins anastomosing freely 3. hybrida 6 Stipules entire; legume with transverse veins scarcely anastomosing 4. cretacea 2 Legumespirallycoiled

7 Perennials with a stout, woody stock

8 Shrub 100-400 cm 11. arborea 8 Herbs less than 100 cm

9 Pedicels erect in fruit

10 Legume with long, slender spines 13. carstiensis 10 Legume not spiny

11 Leaflets obovate to almost linear, long-cuneate at base; corolla (5—)6—11 mm 5. sativa 11 Leaflets broadly obovate, shortly cuneate at base; corolla 3-6 mm 10. suffruticosa 9 Pedicels recurved or deflexed in fruit

12 Transverse veins oflegume thick, anastomosing to form

a conspicuous intermediate vein parallel to the marginal

13 Leaflets narrowly linear; legume convex at apex

8. saxatilis 13 Leaflets obovate-cuneate to oblong-cuneate; legume

flat at apex 9. cancellata 12 Transverse veins of legume thin, sometimes indistinct,

not forming an intermediate vein parallel to the marginal

14 Pedicels 2 -2 | times as long as calyx in fruit; transverse veins oflegume anastomosing freely, strongly curved

6. prostrata 14 Pedicels about as long as calyx in fruit; transverse veins of legume scarcely anastomosing, nearly straight 7. rupestris 7 Annuals

15 Margin of legume with distinct (usually long) spines

16 Legume pubescent and glandular 15. ciliaris 16 Legume glabrous (except sometimes for the spines) and eglandular 14. intertexta

15 Margin of legume without spines, occasionally with small rounded projections

17 Legume strongly pelviform 16. scutellata 17 Legume flat or convex at the ends

18 Transverse veins of legume anastomosing abundantly

19. soleirolii 18 Transverse veins oflegume scarcely anastomosing

19 Transverse veins of legume not becoming thickened towards the thin margin 12. orbicularis 19 Transverse veins of legume becoming thickened towards the thick marginal vein 18. rugosa 1 Legume with a strong submarginal vein, or with a wide veinless border

20 White-tomentose perennial; legume with a distinct hole through the centre 21. marina 20 Annuals or nearly glabrous perennials; legume without a hole through the centre

21 Submarginal vein of legume connected to the marginal vein by cross-veins which form a regular subquadrate network

17. blancheana 21 Legume without cross-veins connecting the submarginal and marginal veins

22 Legumeina laxspiral,theyounglegumeprojectingfrom the calyx as soon as the petals have fallen

23 Legume without apparent transverse veins or with a veinless border as wide as the radius of the spiral

24 Legume discoid with no apparent transverse veins;

upper turn of spiral without spines, much smaller than the other spiny ones 35. disciformis 24 Legume shortly cylindrical, with a wide veinless border;

upper turn of spiral spiny, about the same size as the others 36. tenoreana 23 Legume with prominent transverse veins and no wide veinless border

25 Margin of legume wide, flat, with 2 rows of spines, one upward- and one downward-pointing, parallel to the legume 34. coronata 25 Margin of legume keeled or rounded; spines usually patent

26 Leaflets nearly always with a dark spot; marginal vein of legume sulcate and margin therefore with 3 conspicuous grooves 30. arabica 26 Leaflets never with a dark spot; marginal vein of legume not sulcate

27 Groove between the submarginal and marginal veins of the legume very wide, visible when the legume is viewed from the edge

28 Legume discoid to shortly cylindrical, usually glabrous or nearly so; transverse veins curved but not sigmoid, anastomosing freely 31. polymorpha 28 Legume subglobose, sparsely villous and often glandular; transverse veins sigmoid, not anastomosing

37. minima 27 Groove between the submarginal and marginal veins narrow, not visible when the legume is viewed from the edge

29 Leaflets usually incise-dentate or almost pinnatifid;

transverse veins of legume sigmoid, sparingly branched, not anastomosing 33. laciniata 29 Leaflets dentate near the apex; transverse veins of legume strongly curved but not sigmoid, anastomosing freely near the submarginal vein

32. praecox 22 Legume in a very close spiral, the young legume concealed within the calyx when the petals fall

30 Legume with a veinless border as wide as the radius of the spiral

31 Legume usually in a left-handed spiral; margin with

1 keel; spines usually short, obtuse 28. turbinata 31 Legume always in a right-handed spiral; margin with 3 keels; spines usually long, acute 29. murex 30 Legume without a wide veinless border

32 Legume densely glandular-pubescent

33 Nearly glabrous perennial; calyx-teeth glabrous 24. pironae

33 Densely pubescent annuals; calyx-teeth pubescent

34 Legume discoid to cylindrical; transverse veins scarcely anastomosing 23. rigidula

34 Legume globose to ellipsoid; transverse veins anastomosing freely near the submarginal vein 26. aculeata

32 Legume glabrous or with sparse hairs

35 Marginal and submarginal veins of legume confluent at maturity and forming a single acute or convex keel

36 Transverse veins of legume nearly straight; spines not sulcate at base 25. littoralis

36 Transverse veins of legume strongly curved; spines sulcate at base 27. globosa

35 Marginal and submarginal veins of legume separated by a distinct groove at maturity and so forming 3

keels

37 Racemes usually with more than 3 flowers; legume glabrous, usually without spines; spines, if present,

usually short, conical, straight or uncinate

20. tornata

37 Racemes usually with 1-3 flowers; legume nearly always sparsely villous, always spiny; spines usually long, curved 22. troncatala