Medicago falcata L., syn.: Medicago sativa L. ssp. falcata (L.) Dll., Medicago romanica Prodan, Medicago procumbens BesserFamily: FabaceaeEN: Yellow Medic, Sickle Medic, Yelllow Alfalfa, DE: Sichelluzerne, Sichelklee, Gelbe LuzerneSlo.: srpasta meteljkaDat.: June 14. 2008 Lat.: 45.81236 Long.: 13.61639Code: Bot_0271/2008_DSC9540Habitat: grassland overgrown with bushes and scattered trees; semi-ruderal place; locally flat terrain; calcareous, skeletal ground; dry and warm place, full sun; elevation 70 m (230 feet); average precipitations 1.500-1.600 mm/year, average temperature 12-13 deg C, Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Next to the paved road from Italy-Slovenia border crossing Klarii to village Brestovica pri Komnu, Brestoviki dol, Primorska, Slovenia EC. Comment: Medicago falcata is native in Mediterranean basin, however, it is spread also outside it. It can be found in Asia as well as in North America. It grows on rather dry grassland, fields, and waste areas. The plant thrives in symbiosis with certain fungi, which are capable to collect nitrogen. Hence, it is sometimes planted together with its close relative purple medic (Medicago sativa s. lat.). Both plants improve forage and nitrogen content of the agricultural land. Both frequently form hybrids, which makes accurate identification many times very difficult if not impossible. The main distinguishing character between both are their fruits. Medicago sativa s. lat. has (usually) strongly spirally coiled fruits, while those of Medicago falcata are (usually) merely sickle-shaped.Ref.:(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 908.(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 562.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 299. (4)
www.gbif.org/species/2965354?occurrenceDatasetOffset=40 (accessen Feb. 25. 2019)
Medicago prostrata Jacq.Wild Alfalfa, DE: Liege-Schneckenklee, Liege-Luzerne, Pannonische LuzerneSlo.: polegle meteljka Dat.: May 27. 2016Lat.: 45.82643 Long.: 13.84151Code: Bot_0964/2016_DSC2602Habitat: growing on a stony road scarp, moderately inclined mountain slope, southwest aspect, full sun, dry place; mixed wood edge; skeletal ground, calcareous ground; elevation 270 m (880 feet); average precipitations 1.600-1.800 mm/year, average temperature 11-12 deg C, Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region. Substratum: stony soil.Place: North of village tanjel, next to the road to Nova Gorica just after the second switchback of the road, Vipavsko, Slovenia EC. Comment: Medicago prostrata is one of the 13 species of medick genus (Medicago) growing in Slovenia. It is a southeastern European plant. In Slovenia it is a moderately common medic mostly limited to the warmest (the most southwest) region in the country (Ref.: 4). Only in the Soa valley it enters the Alps and in a few other very limited regions of South Alps in Italy (Ref.: 3). In Austria, north to Slovenia, it is extremely rare in Pannonia region. Also in Czech Republic it is only known from a few localities. On the other hand, it grows in Apennines as well as in Balkan Mountains along the Adriatic Sea shore (Ref.: 5). This plant is a wild version of the very common agricultural plant Medicago sativa - variegated alfalfa.Ref.:(1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 563.(2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 300. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 908.(4) N. Jogan (ed.), Gradivo za Atlas flore Slovenije (Materials for the Atlas of Flora of Slovenia), CKSF (2001), p 210.(5) Flora Croatica Database (FCD), Department of Botany, Faculty of science, FER-ZPR, University of Zagreb (2004);
hirc.botanic.hr/fcd (accessed March 6. 2019)
Medicago lupulina var. glandulosa (L.) Mert.& Koch, syn.: Medicago cupanianaBlack Medic, DE: Hopfenklee, Hopfen-SchneckenkleeSlo.: hmeljna meteljkaDat.: May 23. 2016Lat.: 46.36138 Long.: 13.70190Code: Bot_961/2016_DSC2324Habitat: mountain pasture, next to the wood edge, modestly southeast inclined mountain slope; calcareous, colluvial, skeletal ground; open, dry place, partly sunny, precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 620 m (2.030 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, Na Melu place next to Trenta 2b cottage, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Genus Medicago is very large. Almost all its members have yellow flowers and trifoliate leaves. Although many of the species look similar in flower, the fruits vary greatly from one species to another and are very important in identification.Medicago lupulina is a very common plant. It grows all over Europe from low land to subalpine elevations of all European mountains, in the whole Mediterranean, Asia and North Africa. It is considered a 'weed', and hence never closely looked at. Yet, it is beautiful. Very small flowers, from only 2 to 3 mm long, are in small, rounded racemes each having 20 to 40 tiny flowers. Pods are characteristically coiled into a circle. They look like a clump of very small, snail houses only 1.5 to 3 mm in diameter. They are black when ripe (picture 3 shows unripe, still green pods). The plant usually grows on ruderal ground, cultivated ground, waste land and track sides and nutrients rich ground. The habitat of this find is actually quite unusual. Medicago lupulina can be hairy or glabrous. Since the leaflets and pods of the plants found are hairy this is var. glandulosa.Ref.:(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 906.(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 562.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 300. (4) M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, A & C Black, London (2005), p 96.