Family: Fabaceae
Alfalfa, Medick
Merel R. Black
Key to Wisconsin Medicago
- 1a.Corollas 1.8–3 mm long, yellow; plants prostrate to slightly ascending; fruit 1-seeded, black at maturity M. lupulina
- 1b.Corollas 6–11 mm long, blue-purple (rarely yellow or cream); plants erect; fruit many-seeded, green at maturity M. sativa
A single plant of Medicago minima (L.) Bartal. was collected in 2012 in the cracks of a clifftop at Ferry Bluff, Sauk Co. It resembles M. lupulina but has fruits covered in hooked spines; it could be more common and just overlooked.
