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Taxon:  Medicago lupulina L.



Summary
Genus:
Medicago
Section:
Lupularia
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Trifolieae
Nomen number:
23613
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 2:779. 1753
Verified:
06/08/1987 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
388 (373  active, 187  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Medicago lupulina L. var. willdenowii Boenn. (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Medicago cupaniana Guss.
Medicago lupulina L. var. cupaniana (Guss.) Boiss.
No images


Reference(s)
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Common names
English
black medic –
black medick –
English trefoil –
hop trefoil –
hop-clover –
nonesuch –
yellow trefoil –
French
lupuline –
minette dorée –
German
Gelbklee –
Hopfenklee –
Italian
lupolina –
Japanese Rōmaji
kometsubū-umagoyashi –
Portuguese
lupulina –
luzerna-brava –
luzerna-lupulina –
Spanish
mielga azafranada –
Swedish
humlelusern –
Transcribed Chinese
tian lan mu xu –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanary Islands 
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusArmenia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusGeorgia  
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusRussian FederationDagestan 
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusRussian Federation-CiscaucasiaCiscaucasia 
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChina  
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaKorea  
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaAfghanistan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIraq  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaBihar 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaDelhi 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaGujarat 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaHaryana 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaHimachal Pradesh 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaJammu and Kashmir 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaMadhya Pradesh 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaPunjab 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaRajasthan 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaUttar Pradesh 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaWest Bengal 
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeBelarus  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeEstonia  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeLatvia  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeLithuania  
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeRussian Federation-European partEuropean part 
1NativeEuropeEast EuropeUkraine  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeAustria  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeBelgium  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeCzechoslovakia  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeGermany  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeHungary  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeNetherlands  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropePoland  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeSwitzerland  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeDenmark  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeFinland  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeIreland  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeNorway  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeSweden  
1NativeEuropeNorthern EuropeUnited Kingdom  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeRomania  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
2Cultivated     
3AdventiveNorthern America Mexico  
3AdventiveSouthern AmericaMesoamericaGuatemala  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaKazakhstan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaKyrgyzstan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTajikistan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTurkmenistan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaUzbekistan  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateMongoliaMongolia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateRussian Far EastRussian Federation-Far EastFar East 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateSiberiaRussian Federation-Eastern SiberiaEastern Siberia 
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateSiberiaRussian Federation-Western SiberiaWestern Siberia 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand  
4NaturalizedNorthern America Canada  
4NaturalizedNorthern America United States  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChile  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Saudi Arabia, Yemen
  • CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia], Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation [Dagestan]
  • CHINA: China
  • EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Taiwan
  • WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal], Nepal, Pakistan
Europe
  • EAST EUROPE: Russian Federation-European part [European part], Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine
  • MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland
  • NORTHERN EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Cultivated ()
Adventive
Northern America
  • REGION: Mexico
Southern America
  • MESOAMERICA: Guatemala
Naturalized
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores]
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
  • MONGOLIA: Mongolia
  • RUSSIAN FAR EAST: Russian Federation-Far East [Far East]
  • SIBERIA: Russian Federation-Western Siberia [Western Siberia], Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia [Eastern Siberia]
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Northern America
  • REGION: Canada, United States
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Ecuador, Peru
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforage Lesins, K. A. & I. Lesins. 1979. Genus Medicago (Leguminosae). A taxogenetic study. 1979 67.
Bee plantshoney production Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
Environmentalornamental Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
Environmentalrevegetator University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Environmentalsoil improver Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
Weedpotential seed contaminant Holm, L. et al. A geographical atlas of world weeds. 1979
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=23613. Accessed 19 July 2025.


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