Black Medick

Black Medick
Black Medick. Medicago lupilina.
Fabaceae, the pea, bean, or legume family.

Description:
Plant: Sprawling, branching, plant, stems to 12" or more, with three-part leaves and small heads of tiny yellow, pea-like flowers. Annual.
Flowers: Tiny, yellow, pea-like, in dense heads about 1/2" long.
Leaves: Alternate, compound, with three small leaflets, about 1/2", obovate, with inset tooth at tip, and covered with downy hairs. Terminal leaflet with short stalk.
Fruit: Tiny, spiral-coiled pods on head.
Blooming: May-October
Habitat: Fields, lawns, roadsides, and disturbed areas.

Comments: A European import, this plant is very similar to the hop clovers, distinguished by slightly smaller flowers, and the tiny spiral-shaped pods. Often considered a weed in lawns. Alfalfa (M. sativa) is in the same genus.

Where to find it: Common in the park lawns.