Medicago polymorpha
California burclover, California Burclover
(c) Harry Rose, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Medicago polymorpha (California burclover) is a non-native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by nearly glabrous habit and gray-black fruits key.
California burclover is a naturalized annual found in the California Floristic Province in chaparral, oak woodland, streambanks, roadsides, and disturbed areas at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small yellow flowers in compact clusters of 2 to 6 blooms. Growing with prostrate or mat-forming stems up to 50 centimeters long, it spreads across the ground in dense patches. Its leaves have three wedge-shaped to heart-shaped leaflets typically 10 to 20 millimeters long, with deeply cut stipules that are nearly as wide as the leaf. The distinctive fruit forms a loose spiral with 2 to 6 turns, covered in small prickles and ranging from gray to black in color.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 9 sympatric species; nearly glabrous habit and gray-black fruits key
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Chaparral, oak woodland, streambanks, roadsides, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1500 m
California counties: Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Bernardino, Tulare, Fresno, Colusa, Glenn, Santa Clara, Sutter, San Mateo, Placer, Lake, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Nevada, Butte, Mendocino, Alameda, Marin, Humboldt, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Shasta, Santa Cruz, El Dorado, Amador, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Sacramento, Solano, Stanislaus, Del Norte, Mariposa, Tehama, Merced, Yuba, Tuolumne, Trinity
Outside California: widespread in southern United States, warm-temp, native to Mediterranean, Europe
Bloom period
Medicago polymorpha blooms Mar-Jul.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Melilotus: Medicago fruits are spirally coiled; Melilotus fruits are small egg-shaped pods with transverse ridges.; vs Trifolium: Medicago flowers fall off; Trifolium flowers persist and enclose the fruit in papery covering.; vs Oxalis: Medicago has pea-shaped flowers and coiled fruits; wood-sorrels (Oxalis) have 5-petaled flowers and upright capsules.; vs Acmispon: Medicago has toothed leaflets and coiled fruits; Acmispon has smooth-edged leaflets and straight pods.; vs Vicia: Medicago has coiled prickly fruits; vetches (Vicia) have flat straight pods and tendrils.
Frequently asked questions
Is Medicago polymorpha native to California?
No. Medicago polymorpha is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Medicago polymorpha bloom?
Medicago polymorpha blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Medicago polymorpha grow?
Medicago polymorpha occurs in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara and other counties, at elevations of < 1500 m.
What plant family does Medicago polymorpha belong to?
Medicago polymorpha is in the Fabaceae family, genus Medicago.
Is Medicago polymorpha invasive in California?
Medicago polymorpha is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.