Spotted Medick is a
native
annual plant of the UK, typically found growing in grassland and lawns, to a mature height of up to 60cm.
Spotted Medick is named after the dark V-shaped markings on its leaflets and its membership of the genus Medicago, which have trifoliate leaves and clover-like flowers. In the case of Spotted Medick, however, the flowers are arranged singly or in clusters of up to four flowers, and therefore not so obviously 'clover-like'.
Botanic classification and naming: Spotted Medick is a member of the Pea (Fabaceae) family. The genus name
'Medicago' identifies the plant as a Medick and its species name 'arabica' means 'Arabian plant'.
Benefits: Spotted Medick has root nodules that host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These make atmospheric nitrogen available to feed the plant and enrich the soil.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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