What is black medick?

Black medick is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to Europe and Asia.

What does black medick look like?

It has yellow flowers in dense spikes and trifoliate leaves similar to clover, with small, black, coiled seed heads.

Where does black medick grow?

It thrives in sunny locations on various soil types, often found in meadows, lawns, and disturbed ground.

Is black medick good for the soil?

Yes, it's a nitrogen-fixing plant, meaning it improves soil fertility by converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can use.

Plant guide

Black Medic.

Medicago lupulina

Pronounced meh-DIH-cuh-goh LUP-yoo-lih-nah

Also known as Black Medic, Black Medic Clover, Black Medick, English Trefoil, Hop Clover, Hop Medic, Hop Trefoil

Black Medic is a low-growing, annual to perennial herbaceous plant often found in lawns and disturbed areas. It's known for its trifoliate leaves and small, bright yellow flower clusters that mature into black, kidney-shaped seeds.

At a glance

Care level: Easy
Plant type: Herbaceous plant
Light: Full sun
Indoor light: direct
Water: Every 7 to 14 days
Mature size: 0.5 meters tall, 1 meter spread
Growth rate: fast
Hardiness: USDA 3 to 10
Bloom time: Spring to fall

Care

This plant is generally considered a weed and requires no special care; it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. It can spread rapidly by seed, so mowing regularly helps to manage its presence.

Watering: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry; it tolerates some drought once established.
Feeding: Generally does not require fertilization; can fix its own nitrogen.
Pruning: Regular mowing helps control its spread and prevents seed formation.
Repotting: Typically grown as an annual or managed as a groundcover, so repotting is not common.
Soil: Well-drained soil
Soil pH: 4.5-8.0
Temperature: -20.5 to 32.2°C
Humidity: 20 to 60%

Safety

People: While the seeds are sometimes eaten after cooking, it's generally not recommended for humans to consume this plant without specific knowledge and preparation.
Children: There are no specific major concerns for children, but ingestion of large quantities of any wild plant should be avoided.
Edibility: The seeds are considered edible after cooking, but it's best to be cautious and confirm identification before consuming any wild plant.

How to identify it

Low-growing, spreading habit
Trifoliate leaves
Toothed leaf margins
Small, yellow flower spikes
Black, kidney-shaped seed heads

Height: 0.15 to 0.5m
Spread: 0.3 to 1m
Leaves: green, semi-evergreen
Flowers: yellow, 0.5 to 1cm
Fruit: black, Summer to fall

Growing it

Propagation: Seed
When to plant: Spring, Fall

Black medick is a great cover crop to plant in the fall, especially in vegetable gardens, as it improves soil structure and fertility over winter.

Grows well with

White Clover — Both are nitrogen-fixing legumes that thrive in similar conditions and benefit from shared resources.
Perennial Ryegrass — Often grown together in pastures and lawns; they share similar growth habits and soil preferences.
Dandelion — A common companion in disturbed or open areas; dandelion's deep taproot can access nutrients that black medick may not reach.

Keep away from

Large Perennial Weeds — Aggressive perennial weeds can outcompete black medick for light, water, and nutrients.
Waterlogging — Black medick prefers well-drained soil and will not tolerate consistently waterlogged conditions.

Similar species

White Clover — Both have trifoliate leaves and are low-growing legumes, but white clover has distinct white or pinkish flowers and leaf markings.
Alsike Clover — Similar habit, but alsike clover has pinkish-white flowers and lacks the distinct coiled seed heads of black medick.
Hop Clover — Also has trifoliate leaves and yellow flowers, but hop clover flowers are typically fewer per head and more straw-colored, and its seed heads are not as tightly coiled.

Science

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Medicago
Order: Fabales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Native range: Europe, North Africa, and Asia
Conservation: Not of conservation concern.

Black medick is an annual that colonizes open, disturbed areas and improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation.

Value to wildlife: nectar source, larval host plant
Pollinators: bees, butterflies, moths
Uses: cover crop, forage, green manure

Through the year

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Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 4/9
Soil reaction: 7/9
Light: 7/9
Temperature: 7/9
Moisture: 4/9
Nutrients: 5/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

What is black medick?: Black medick is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to Europe and Asia.
What does black medick look like?: It has yellow flowers in dense spikes and trifoliate leaves similar to clover, with small, black, coiled seed heads.
Where does black medick grow?: It thrives in sunny locations on various soil types, often found in meadows, lawns, and disturbed ground.
Is black medick good for the soil?: Yes, it's a nitrogen-fixing plant, meaning it improves soil fertility by converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can use.

Where the name comes from

The genus name 'Medicago' comes from the Greek word 'medike,' referring to Media, a region in ancient Persia, possibly where the plant was first cultivated or known. 'Lupulina' is Latin for 'hop-like,' referring to the coiled, hop-like appearance of its fruit clusters.

Good to know

It's an annual plant that fixes nitrogen in the soil.
Its leaves fold down when the plant touches something or at night.
Black medick can tolerate some drought and poor soils.

Is your black medic looking unwell?

This page is a general guide. Pocket Botanist diagnoses problems from a photo of your actual plant, works out watering for your light and conditions, and reminds you when care is due.

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This guide was generated with AI and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.