Little bur-clover
Medicago minima
Synonyms: Medicago minima var. canescens, Medicago minima var. incana, Medicago polonica, Medicago graeca, Medicago brachyacantha, Medicago inconspicua, Spirocarpus minimus, Medicago mollissima, Medicago minima var. winterlii, Medicago minima var. graeca, Medicago minima subvar. elongata, Medicago arabica var. echinata, Medicago minima var. pubescens, Medicago hirsutissima, Medicago minima var. maior, Medicago sessilis, Medicago ononidea, Medicago recta, Medicago minima var. compacta, Medicago minima var. longiseta, Medicago minima var. brachyodon, Medicago minima var. vulgaris, Medicago lineata, Medica hirsuta, Medicago meyeri, Medicago minima var. mollissima, Medicago minima var. recta, Medicago minima f. glandulosa, Medicago americana, Medicago pulchella, Medicago minima var. stenophylla, Medicago minima subvar. pubescens, Medicago minima subvar. canescens, Medicago minima var. viscida, Medicago minima f. mollissima, Medicago polymorpha var. hirsuta, Medicago minima var. pulchella, Medicago minima f. pulchella, Ononis ornithopodioides, Medicago minima var. intermedia, Medicago polymorpha var. recta, Medicago minima var. exilis, Medicago polymorpha var. minima, Medicago minima var. elongata, Medicago minima f. pubescens, Medicago minima subsp. ononidea, Medicago minima var. longispina, Medicago minima var. mitis, Medicago minima var. hirsuta, Medicago minima subsp. pulchella, Medicago minima var. maritima, Medicago minima subsp. brevispina, Medicago minima var. brevispina, Medicago minima f. viscida, Medicago elongata, Medicago minima subvar. viscida, Medicago minima subvar. stenophylla
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Botanical Description
Medicago minima, the small bur-clover or little medick, is a small annual herb of the Fabaceae family native to the Mediterranean basin, the Near East, and central Asia and now widely naturalised in dry open habitats across the temperate world. From a slender taproot it produces prostrate to ascending, much-branched, softly hairy stems five to thirty centimetres long. The trifoliate leaves bear three obovate leaflets one to ten millimetres long, the terminal leaflet on a longer stalk and finely toothed at the tip. Small clusters of two to six tiny yellow pea-flowers about three millimetres long appear in spring from the leaf axils, followed by characteristic spirally coiled, hooked-spiny burs containing several seeds, the whole fruit only a few millimetres across. The plant favours dry, sandy or gravelly, sun-baked ground.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
None Documented
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.