Black Medick is a summer or winter annual or short lived perennial in the bean family native to Europe, north Africa, the Near East, usually found in disturbed areas or lawns, as well as in fields and pastures. Black Medick is a flowering, broadleaf evergreen that spreads up to 2 1/2 feet prostrate across the ground. The plant has trifoliate leaves with a spur on the center leaflet and yellow flowers that bloom in a rounded cluster at the end of a stem emerging from the leaves. The genus name is Latin for median, because alfalfa, a related plant, was thought to come from Media (now called Iran). The species name means wolf-like. Black Medick thrives in nutrient poor and dry soils in areas with full to partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, or gravel. The root system includes a coarse branched taproot that may form nodules. They add nitrogen to the surrounding soil. Each globe-shaped flower head consists of a dense cluster of 15-50 small yellow flowers. Each leaf is divided into 3 leaflets, also referred to as trifoliate. The center leaflet is attached to the stem by a short stalk, while the two outer leaflets attach directly to the stem. This aggressive plant forms dense clusters of seedpods after flowering. To manage this plant in the landscape, requires hand pulling or weeding tools that can remove the large taproot. Fixing these issues in your lawn and garden will minimize the appearance of this weed. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: This is an aggressive, weedy plant.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Prostrate; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Obovate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The green to dark green trifoliate leaves are each divided into 3 leaflets. The middle leaflet has a short stalk, while the two outer leaflets are attached to the stem. There are fine light green veins on the upper surface of the leaves. At the base of each petiole, there is a pair of stipules that are lanceolate to ovate and variable in size. The leaflets of the compound leaves are up to 2/3 of an inch long and half as much across. Each middle leaflet has a short stalk, while the lateral leaflets are sessile.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Insignificant; Raceme
Flower shape
Dome; Irregular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The globe-shaped flower head is a dense cluster of 15 to 50 small flowers. Inflorescence is a 1/4 inch globe shaped cluster made up of 15-50 pea-like floral structures, each 1/8 inch across and with an upper standard and lower keel.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The dense cluster of seeds can aggressively spread this plant's habitat. The pods are dark in color, hairy and curled. Each pod contains one seed. Hairy, kidney-shaped, slightly coiled and arranged in clusters, black when ripe
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Light green or red-green stems with white hairs can reach a length of 30 inches. Older plants have less hair. They may also be branched, prostrate, or ascending.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Macronesia, Europe, Asia
Distribution
World wide including the entire United States.
Wildlife value
Bees, flies and small butterflies are attracted to this plant. Animals will graze on this plant.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Play value
Attracts Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Seeds
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Legume
Edibility
Leaves and seeds can be eaten when cooked.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Introduced from Eurasia into North America as a source of forage for livestock.