''Medicago arabica'', the spotted medick, spotted burclover, heart clover, is a
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the pea and bean family
. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world, usually on clifftop grasslands and grassy places.
It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium ''
Sinorhizobium medicae
''Ensifer'' (often referred to in literature by its synonym ''Sinorhizobium'') is a genus of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia), three of which (''Ensifer meliloti'', ''Ensifer medicae'' and '' Ensifer fredii'') have been sequenced.
Etymology
T ...
'', which is capable of
nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmo ...
.
Description
It is a sprawling plant with a height of 20–60 cm. It has spotted trifoliate leaves (sometimes, the number of leaflets per leaf can be different). The flowers are pale yellow and appear between April and August. The fruits are legumes, strangely coiled and are sharply spiny.
References
arabica
Flora of Lebanon and Syria
Flora of the Arabian Peninsula
Flora of Egypt
Flora of Malta
{{Trifolieae-stub