Fabaceae

Black medick

Medicago lupulina L.

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Medicago

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Black medick (Medicago lupulina) — FlowerPhoto: Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (41)

Arabic: فصة سوداء
arz: فصه سوداء
Asturian: Mielga negra
Belarusian: Люцэрна хмелепадобная
Bulgarian: Хмелна люцерна
Chinese: 天蓝苜蓿, 天藍苜蓿, 天兰苜蓿, 天蓝, 接筋草, 老蜗生, 野苜蓿, 短花苜蓿
csb: Nérkòwatô lucerna
Czech: Tolice dětelová
Danish: Humle-Sneglebælg, Humlesneglebælg
Dutch: Hopklaver
English: Black medick, Hop clover, Nonesuch
Esperanto: Lupola medikago
Estonian: Humallutsern
Finnish: Nurmimailanen
French: Luzerne lupuline
Galician: Alfalfa lupulina
German: Hopfenklee, Gelbklee, Hopfen-Klee, Hopfen-Luzerne, Hopfen-Schneckenklee, Hopfenluzerne
hsb: Niska šlinčina
Icelandic: Úlfasmári
Irish: Dúmheidic
Japanese: コメツブウマゴヤシ, 米粒馬肥やし
Kazakh: Құлмақ жоңышқа
Latvian: Apiņu lucerna
Lithuanian: Apyninė liucerna
Macedonian: Хмеловидна луцерка
Mongolian: Зүргийлэг царгас
Norwegian Bokmål: Sneglebelg
Persian: یونجه سیاه
Polish: Lucerna nerkowata, Lucerna chmielowa
Romanian: Trifoi mărunt
Serbian: Обична вија
Slovak: Lucerna ďatelinová
Slovenian: Hmeljna meteljka
Spanish: Mielga negra, Teble, Trebolera, Alfalfa, Alfalfa lupulina, Carretón, Estrebo, Meligón
Swedish: Humlelusern
Turkish: Kelebek otu
tyv: Дүжер-меде хмель хевирлиг
Ukrainian: Люцерна хмелевидна
Vietnamese: Linh lăng đen
Walloon: Coirvece
Welsh: Maglys du

Synonyms

Lupularia parviflora Opiz
Lupulina aurata Noulet
Medica lupulina (L.) Scop.
Medicago apennina J.Woods
Medicago appenina Woods
Medicago breviflora Gilib.
Medicago canescens Menyh.
Medicago ciliaris Lucé
Medicago corymbifera W.L.E.Schmidt ex Schltdl.
Medicago cupaniana var. leiocarpa
Medicago cupianiana Guss.
Medicago eriocarpa Rouy
Medicago lupulina f. canescens (Menyh.) Soó
Medicago lupulina f. corymbosa (Ser.) Urb.
Medicago lupulina f. leiocarpa Urb.
Medicago lupulina f. polystachya (Ser.) Urb.
Medicago lupulina f. stipularis (Wallr.) Urb.
Medicago lupulina f. subglabra Pau
Medicago lupulina f. unguiculata (Ser.) Urb.
Medicago lupulina f. willdenowiana (W.D.J.Koch) Urb.
Medicago lupulina prol. cupianiana (Guss.) Rouy
Medicago lupulina subsp. cupaniana (Guss.) Nyman
Medicago lupulina subsp. cupianiana (Guss.) Nyman
Medicago lupulina subsp. eurasiatica Braun-Blanq.
Medicago lupulina subsp. jalasii Rothm.
Medicago lupulina subsp. willdenowiana (W.D.J.Koch) Soják
Medicago lupulina subsp. willdenowii (Mérat) Arcang.
Medicago lupulina subvar. eriocarpa Rouy
Medicago lupulina var. axilis Merino
Medicago lupulina var. canescens Moris
Medicago lupulina var. cinerea Alleiz.
Medicago lupulina var. corymbosa Ser.
Medicago lupulina var. cupianiana (Guss.) Boiss.
Medicago lupulina var. dzumgalensis Ubuk.
Medicago lupulina var. eriocarpa (Rouy) Maire
Medicago lupulina var. glabra Gray
Medicago lupulina var. glanduligera Neuman
Medicago lupulina var. glandulosa W.D.J.Koch
Medicago lupulina var. hispida Klett & Richt.
Medicago lupulina var. lupulina

and 22 more.

Flowers

In flower: April to August (from 7,687 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: introduced, Greenland: introduced, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Richard Fuller, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Louis Aureglia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Skyler Principe, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Medicago

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.