Medicago arabica (L.) Huds., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Medicago cordata Desr.; Medicago maculata Sibth.; Medicago polymorpha var. arabica L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: he ban mu xu

English: spotted bur medick, spotted bur-clover, spotted medic, spotted medick, spotted-leaf medic

French: luzerne d'Arabie, luzerne maculée

Japanese: montsuki-uma-goyashi

Spanish: trébol de carretilla, trébol de manchado

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual herbs, 40-65 cm. Stems decumbent or spreading, longitudinally ridged, sparsely hairy, hairs simple and multi-cellular-glandular. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, 5-12 mm, incised, with 6-8 deep lobes; petioles slender, 2-8 (-12) cm, 2-5 times as long as peduncle; leaflets usually with a dark colored patch at center, obcordate to broadly obovate, 7-25 (-30) x 14-32 mm, sparsely hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially, base broadly cuneate, margin subentire or shallowly serrate, apex rounded or emarginate. Flowers (1 or) 2-5 (or 6) in axillary racemes; peduncles with a terminal cusp; bracts ca. 1 mm; pedicels longer than or equal to bracts. Corolla yellow, 5-6.5 mm; standard broadly obovate, retuse. Legume cylindric to globose, 5-7 mm, tightly coiled in 3-7 spirals, turning counterclockwise, 5-8 radial veins on coil face, spines 13-15 in each row. Seed yellowish brown, oblong-elliptic, 2.5-3.5 x 1.2-1.5 mm, smooth"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In China, "rather moist stream banks, grasslands"  (Flora of China online).  In New Zealand, "waste places, thin pasture, lawns; locally common"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 662).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary Islands, northern Africa, Europe, western Asia; naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 555)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 555)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Morro Juanango	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 555)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 662)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Cultivated, rather moist stream banks, grasslands. Fujian, Guang-dong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 185)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 662)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Medicago arabica, please let us know.