''Medicago arborea'' 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 ...

species in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. Common names include moon trefoil, shrub medick, alfalfa arborea, and tree medick. It is found throughout Europe and especially in the Mediterranean basin, primarily on rocky shores among shrubby vegetation. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium ''

Sinorhizobium meliloti ''Ensifer meliloti'' (formerly ''Rhizobium meliloti'' and ''Sinorhizobium meliloti'') are an aerobic, Gram-negative, and diazotrophic species of bacteria. ''S. meliloti'' are motile and possess a cluster of peritrichous flagella. ''S. meliloti'' ...

'', 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 ...

. It is the only member of the genus ''Medicago'' which is used as an ornamental. ''M. arborea'' is sometimes misidentified as ''

Cytisus ''Cytisus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to open sites (typically scrub and heathland) in Europe, western Asia and North Africa. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and is one of several genera in the tribe Ge ...

'', which it resembles.

Description

The shrub is high and wide and is pale yellow in colour. Its stems are erect and

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff/ref> This is u ...

while its

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s are triangular and are in height. Its petioles are long with obovate to obcordate leaflets. Flowers are scattered 6-10 racemes and are long with axillar peduncles which are . Bracts are long while its

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

are long. Its legume is coiled in 0.5 to 1.5 spirals which are wide and are

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

at the center. The corolla is of orange colour and is . The seeds are long.

References

External links

International Legume Database & Information ServicesMedicago arborea - L.

arborea Arborea is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, whose economy is largely based on agriculture and cattle breeding with production of vegetables, rice, fruit and milk (notably the local milk product Arborea). Histo ...

Flora of Spain Matorral shrubland Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Malta {{Trifolieae-stub