Medicago littoralis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Medicago |
Species: | M. littoralis
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Binomial name | |
Medicago littoralis Lois
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Synonyms | |
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Medicago littoralis is an annual plant species of the genus Medicago. Its native range encompasses the Mediterranean Basin, from Macaronesia to the Caucasus; it has been introduced elsewhere. It is useful as a forage for livestock. As a leguminous plant, it is capable of adding nitrogen to soils, through its symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, which enables nitrogen fixation. Common names include shore medick,[1] water medick,[2] coastal medick, and strand medick.[3]
Medicago littoralis is a prostrate or procumbent herb, occasionally with an ascending habit.[3][4]
The species has been introduced to Belgium, the US states of Florida and New Jersey, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and to parts of Australia.[3] It is naturalised in South Australia and considered "alien" but non-invasive in Western Australia.[5][6]
'Seraph', is a specially bred variety of M. littoralis, selected for its resistance to powdery mildew and tolerance of sulfonylurea herbicide residues.[7]