Medicago lupulina
| Medicago lupulina | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Medicago lupulina (common name: black medick)
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ[1]. The seed can also be sown in situ in autumn.
Green manure crops can be sown in situ from early spring until early autumn[2]. (the later sowings are for an over-wintering crop)
Cultivation: Dislikes acid soils[2]. (This conflicts with the notes on its habitat above.) Dislikes shade.
A good food plant for many caterpillars[3].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa, the Atlantic Islands and W. Asia.
Habitat: Grassy places and roadsides[4], often occurring as a garden weed on acid and calcareous soils[5].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[6]. Used as a potherb[7]. A nutritional analysis is available[8].
Seed - cooked[9][6][10]. Parched and eaten or ground into a powder[7]. The seed is said to contain trypsin inhibitors[8]. These can interfere with certain enzymes that help in the digestion of proteins, but are normally destroyed if the seed is sprouted first.
Medicinal: Aqueous extracts of the plant have antibacterial properties against micro-organisms[8][11].
Usage: A good green manure plant, it is fairly deep rooted, has good resistance to 'Clover rot' but it is not very fast growing[2]. It can be undersown with cereals, succeeding even in a wet season[2].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Woodward, L and P Burge. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre, 1982.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.