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Taxon:  Medicago truncatula Gaertn.



Summary
Genus:
Medicago
Section:
Spirocarpos
Subsection:
Pachyspireae
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Trifolieae
Nomen number:
23705
Place of publication:
Fruct. sem. pl. 2:350, t. 155, fig. 7. 1791
Verified:
06/11/1987 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
5687 (5442  active, 4844  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. f. tricycla Negre

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. truncatula

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Medicago tribuloides Desr.
Medicago tribuloides Desr. var. breviaculeata Moris
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. breviaculeata (Moris) Urb.
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. longeaculeata Urb.
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. longiaculeata Urb.
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. tribuloides (Desr.) Burnat
Medicago truncatula Gaertn. var. tricycla (Negre) Heyn
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  2. Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. Flora of Libya. 1976-
  3. Allen, O. N. & E. K. Allen. The Leguminosae. A source book of characteristics, uses, and nodulation. 1981
  4. Badri, M. et al. 2007. Quantitative and molecular genetic variation in sympatric populations of Medicago laciniata and M. truncatula (Fabaceae):relationships with eco-geographical factors. Genet. Res. 89:107-122.
  5. Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
  6. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988
  7. Eriksson, O. et al. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 2. 1979
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  9. Greuter, W. et al., eds. Med-Checklist. 1984-
  10. Hacker, J. B. A guide to herbaceous and shrub legumes of Queensland. 1990
  11. Heyn, C. C. 1963. The annual species of Medicago. Scripta Hierosolymitana 12:95.
  12. Hnatiuk, R. J. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11. 1990
  13. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. 2008
  14. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  15. International Seed Testing Association. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2. 1982
  16. Izquierdo Z., I. et al., eds. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres. 2004
  17. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc. 1931-1941
  18. Kellerman, T. S. et al. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa. 1988
  19. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934-1964
  20. Lesins, K. A. & I. Lesins. 1979. Genus Medicago (Leguminosae). A taxogenetic study. 1979 166.
  21. Mouterde, P. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie. 1966-
  22. National Academy of Sciences. Tropical legumes: resources for the future. 1979
  23. Pignatti, S. Flora d'Italia. 1982
  24. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  25. Pottier-Alapetite, G. Flore de la Tunisie: Angiospermes-Dicotyledones. 1979-1981
  26. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie. 1962-1963
  27. Quiros, C. F. & G. R. Bauchan. 1988. The genus Medicago and the origin of the Medicago sativa complex. In A. A. Hanson et al., eds., Alfalfa and alfalfa improvement. Agronomy 29:93-124.
  28. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994
  29. Sales, F. & I. C. Hedge. 1994. Medicago L. (Leguminosae): typification and nomenclature. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 51:323.
  30. Small, E. & M. Jomphe. 1989. A synopsis of the genus Medicago (Leguminosae). Canad. J. Bot. 32:3270.
  31. Small, E. et al. 1981. The taxonomic value of floral characters in tribe Trigonelleae (Leguminosae), with special reference to Medicago. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1581.
  32. Small, E. et al. 1991. Medicago truncatula f. laxicycla (Leguminosae), a new taxon with loose fruit coiling promoting rapid germination of the fruit-retained seeds. Pl. Syst. Evol. 174:37-46.
  33. Small, E. 1981. A numerical analysis of major groupings in Medicago employing traditionally used characters. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1555.
  34. Smythies, B. E. Flora of Spain and the Balearic Islands: checklist of vascular plants. Englera 3:1-882. 1984-1986
  35. Täckholm, V. Students' flora of Egypt, ed. 2. 1974
  36. Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. Flora of Iraq. 1966-
  37. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  38. University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
  39. Yakovlev, G. P. et al. Legumes of Northern Eurasia. 1996
  40. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. Flora palaestina. 1966-
  41. Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74. 1996, 1999
Common names
English
barrel medic –
barrel-clover –
caltrop medic –
cylindrical bur medic –
strong-spine medick –
French
luzerne tronquée –
Italian
medica troncata –
Spanish
trébol barril –
Swedish
tornlusern –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanary Islands 
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusArmenia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusGeorgia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTurkmenistan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaJordan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeUkraine  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
2Cultivated     
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
Asia-Temperate
  • CAUCASUS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Turkmenistan
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Europe
  • EAST EUROPE: Ukraine
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Cultivated ()
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
Southern America
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Uruguay
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforage Hacker, J. B. A guide to herbaceous and shrub legumes of Queensland. 1990
Environmentalsoil improver University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Kellerman, T. S. et al. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa. 1988
Weedpotential seed contaminant Small, E. & M. Jomphe. 1989. A synopsis of the genus Medicago (Leguminosae). Canad. J. Bot. 32:3270.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=23705. Accessed 19 July 2025.


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