Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Medicago apiculata, M. denticulata, M. hispida, M. lappacea, M. minima, M. polycarpa
Other common names
toothed medick
burr medic
bur-clover
toothed bur clover
California burclover
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Annual or perennial
Height
Up to 6 inches
Riparian
Yes
Trailing with tip ascending annual or perennial with numerous spreading branches to 32 inches long; smooth stems and foliage; leaves have 3 toothed leaflets; flowers yellow, banner, wing and keel; fruit a prickly, tightly coiled pod.
Annual; herbage may be somewhat hairy, numerous branches spread and trail along the ground; stipules broad, whitish; flowers yellow in clusters of 2 to 5; pods hairy, spirally coiled 2 to 3 times, several seeded, 2 to 3 rows of hooked or straight spikes.
Habitat
Widely established, occasional in waste areas, old fields, disturbed areas, roadsides, chaparral vegetation, oak woodland, streambanks, grasslands, pastures, agricultural lands (especially alfalfa fields) and lawns.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Small bright yellow flowers clustered into heads on stem tips, 2 to 5 flowers per head; flower is bilaterally symmetrical (only 1 way to evenly divide flower) with a banner, wings and keel (typical pea flower).
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Purplish stems with groove; compound leaves appearing alternately on stem, clover-like shape; leaves divided into 3 triangular-round leaflets, each leaflet with serrated edges.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Pods about 1/16 inch across, start out green and relatively soft but quickly turn brown and hard; tightly coiled into 2 to 3 spirals, margins keeled (ridged), keel armed on each side by row of curved or hooked prickles.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Green or brown
Inside the pod are several seeds, usually yellow or tan, and kidney-shaped.