Medicago polymorpha
| Medicago polymorpha | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Medicago polymorpha (common name: toothed bur-clover)
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 the autumn[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a dry neutral soil and dislikes shade. Prefers a light well-drained soil[1].
A very variable plant[2].
Cultivated for its edible leaves in China[1].
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[3]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Range: Central and southern Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils near the sea in eastern and southern England[2].
Edibility: Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked as a potherb[4][5][6]. Only the young leaves are eaten raw[7]. Plants can be harvested on a cut and come again basis, the first harvest can be made about one month after sowing, plants can then be harvested another 3 - 4 times at intervals of a few weeks[1]. The young leaves contain about 6% protein, 0.14% fat, 9.5% carbohydrate, 1.4% ash. They are rich in vitamins A, C, and E[5].
Flowers - raw or cooked[8][6].
Seed - cooked[9]. The seed can be parched, ground into a powder and mixed with water to make a mush[9].
Usage: Used as a green manure, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen[10][1].
Pollinators: Self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: M. denticulata. M. hispida.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.