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) West Maui. 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).

References:

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. 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. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. 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).