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Magnoliopsida
Medicago polymorpha L.
EOL Text
Medicago polymorpha L., burclover, is a shallow-rooted annual legume. The characteristic growth habit of burclover is one of numerous prostrate stems branching from the crown and spreading outward 6 to 30 inches. Where thick stands develop stems may become erect, obtaining heights of 18 to 24 inches in more favorable years. The leaves are subglabrous and clover-like in appearance, with leaflets normally wedge-shaped and toothed toward the top. The inflorescence is usually quite limited, presenting only a few small, yellow, pea-like flowers. The several-seeded fruit is a flattened, coiled pod, commonly up to 1/4 inch in width and fringed with a double row of conspicuous, hooked spines. Well developed plants may produce more than 1,000 pods. The seed is rather large for a legume of this type, usually developing to over 3/32 inch in length.
Although often considered an indigenous California plant, burclover was introduced from southern Europe. Burclover has become extensively naturalized in the United States from cultivation as a hay or cover crop. It is one of the more widely recognized Medicago species, especially west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, where it is most abundant.
Chile Central
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
Where burclover is adapted on rangeland, seeding is usually not necessary as the seed is already present. Production can be enhanced with cultivation, fertilization and proper grazing management. Existing stands in orchards and vineyards will continue to re-seed indefinitely under proper management. Wait for seed to mature before spring tillage. Don't apply herbicide to strips intended for cover crop. Use phosphorous and sulfur to encourage burclover in mixed grass-clover stands.
I, III, IV, V, RM, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, Juan Fernandez,Juan Fernandez
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
This plant is considered noxious in Arizona. This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS Web site at plants.usda.gov.
Distribution: Pakistan; widely distributed throughout the world, except for tropical regions and desert.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242331818 |
Livestock: All classes of livestock except horses and mules will eat burclover readily, especially when the plant is maturing. Mature stands are highly nutritious and, when abundant, may serve as a finishing feed for lambs. Where growth is lush, the herbage has been known to cause bloat in livestock, particularly those unaccustomed to grazing it. Heavy use of the pods is most noticeable after the spiny burs have been softened by fall rains. While summer grazing burclover, sheep often accumulate numerous burs in the wool, lessening the value of the clip.
Cropland: Burclover is commonly used as a cover crop in orchards. Its rapid, dense growth characteristics and its ability as a legume to fix nitrogen and thus increase the available soil nitrogen supply add to its value for such use. Burclover is particularly useful in orchards and vineyards as a reseeding annual used in association with strip cover management. It can be mowed to control excessive growth, which will not hinder its ability to produce a seed crop for the next year. After seed maturity it can be mowed or disked.
Wildlife: Quail and deer make extensive use of the dry burs.
Burclover may occur in pure stands, but most often it is associated with other winter annuals, such as soft chess, wild oats, and filaree species. As a winter annual, burclover germinates in autumn following the first rains of the season and matures early in the summer. It is particularly adapted to mild, moist winters and hot, dry summers. Optimal annual rainfall for burclover is 10 to 25 inches.
Although burclover will succeed in many soil types, heavy loams are most suitable and valleys and low foothills are generally the preferred sites of natural plant development. This species inhabits all exposures and grows well under light conditions varying from full sunlight to heavy shade. It is tolerant of slightly alkaline conditions and is less acid tolerant than subterranean clover. Favorable growth is usually restricted to a soil pH range of 4.7 to 8.0. Flowering period for burclover commonly begins in February. On very moist soils, the plants are later maturing than on well-drained lands.
For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.
Caution: This plant may become invasive.
Annual, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stem s or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Stipules adnate to petiole, Stipules toothed or laciniate, Leaves compound, Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaflets dentate or denticulate, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 3, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit spirally coiled or contorted, Fruit exserted f rom calyx, Fruit spiny, bur-like, with hooked bristles or prickles, Fruit 2-seeded, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds reniform, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Compiled from several sources by Dr. David Bogler, Missouri Botanical Garden in collaboration with the USDA NRCS NPDC |
Source | http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MEPO3 |