Medicago rugosa Desr., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Medicago elegans Jacq. ex Willd.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: gama medic, rugose medick, wrinkled medick

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual herbs; stems prostrate, up to 5 dm long, glabrous.  Leaflets obovate, 10-20 mm long, 7-15 mm wide, glabrous, apex rounded to truncate, stipules deeply incised, each consisting of 3-5 linear lobes, some of which, especially the central one, are again laciniate.  Flowers (1) 2-5 in racemes; corolla yellow, 2-4 mm long.  Pods 6-10 mm in diameter, spirally twisted in 2-3 complete turns, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, transverse veins prominent, forming a spirally-tangentially directed network toward the edge, prickles absent"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 684, 686).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mediterranean Region (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 686).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 686)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1997) (p. 10) Voucher cited: Flynn 5922 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 24) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer & J. Penniman H50623 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 8) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H50004 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 24) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer, Tangalin & Perlman H50639 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 686) Voucher cited: Forbes 1718.O (BISH)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Medicago rugosa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Medicago rugosa as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Medicago rugosa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

Other Latin names:  Medicago elegans Jacq. ex Willd.

References:

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2009. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1997. New naturalized plant records for Kaua‘i. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1996. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 49:9-13.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2007. New plant records from Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:17-34.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. 2002. New plant records from the main Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:1-14.

U. S. Government. 2009. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).