Black medick (Medicago lupulina) is a common wildflower
found on grassy roadsides, particularly in southeast England where it grows
alongside meadow grasses and cinquefoils.
It is a low-growing plant, reaching 20 inches high at its
maximum but often much lower than that. It has rounded leaflets, grouped in
threes, that end in a tiny point. It flowers between May and August, the yellow
globe-shaped flower head containing up to 50 separate flowers. The petals fall
away from the kidney-shaped seedpods which turn black, hence the plant’s name.
However, the pods do not release seeds; instead, the seeds germinate inside the
pods and force young rootlets through the pod walls.
The “medick” part of the name has nothing to do with any
medical uses that the plant may have had in past times. It derives from the
Medes, who were an ancient Middle Eastern people noted for their highly
developed legal system. The Romans gave the name to lucerne (Medicago sativa),
a well-known food crop, and this has spread to related plants down the
centuries. Black medick is still cultivated for animal fodder in some parts of
Europe.
© John Welford
