Common Name

Cut-leaved Medic

Family

Fabaceae

Notes

Introduced annual forb, prostrate or less than 30cm tall. Leaves alternating along the stems, compound, composed of three leaflets, each 0.3-1.5cm long, 2-6mm wide, flat, lobed, usually deeply cut as if insect-eaten, hairy below, tips with a straight point. Flowers yellow to cream. Flowers pea-shaped, with five petals, two almost joined together. Flowers in clusters of 1-3 flowers, the stalks arising from the bases of the leaves. Burrs hairless, with many hooked spines.

Description and photo (page 401) and line drawing of burr (Fig. 51b page 403) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Medicago~laciniata