Black Medick | Plant Information

Plant Data

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Yellow, 4 petals

Bright yellow and up to 50 flowers per compact flowerhead. 4 downy sepals and 4 petals. Similar looking flower as Lesser Trefoil.

Fruit:

Small, flat and hairy, black kidney-shaped pea pods, up to 3mm across.

Leaves:

Trifoliate leaves, clover-like in appearance, with a black dot in the centre of each leaflet. Similar looking to Lesser Trefoil except the tips of the leaflets are subtly different in shape. With Black Medick the tips of the leaflets protrude slightly, being a little bit pointed. Lesser Trefoil leaflets have a slight indentation so they are ever so slightly more heart-shaped but it's not always easy to tell them apart so careful observation of multiple leaflets is often necessary for correct identification.

Maximum Size:

20 centimetres tall

Foraging Notes:

The leaves and seeds can both be eaten when cooked.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Black Clover, Black Grass, Black Hay, Black Meddick, Black Medic Clover, Black Nonesuch, Blackseed, Hop Clover, Hop Medic, Lupuline, Melilot Trefoil, Nonesuch, Yellow Clover, Yellow Trefoil.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Habitats:

Gardens, grassland, lawns, roadsides, wasteland.

Similar Species:

Hop Trefoil
Lesser Trefoil