Medicago praecox
Mediterranean medick
(c) Thomas Gyselinck, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Medicago praecox (Mediterranean medick) is a non-native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by small size and strigose hairs distinctive.
Mediterranean medick is a naturalized annual found in northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern California coastal areas in creek beds, oak woodland, and disturbed areas at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small yellow flowers that quickly fade. Growing with decumbent stems 10 to 30 centimeters long and generally covered in stiff hairs, it has a low-spreading habit. Its leaves have three leaflets, each wedge-shaped or obovate, typically 3 to 10 millimeters long with distinctively cut lanceolate stipules. The distinctive fruit forms a loose spiral coiled three to five times, with slender hooked prickles that give the mature plant a unique textured appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; small size and strigose hairs distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Creek beds, oak woodland, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1500 m
Outside California: native to Mediterranean
Bloom period
Medicago praecox blooms Apr-May.
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 praecox native to California?
No. Medicago praecox is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Medicago praecox bloom?
Medicago praecox blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Medicago praecox belong to?
Medicago praecox is in the Fabaceae family, genus Medicago.
What habitat does Medicago praecox grow in?
Medicago praecox grows in Uncommon. Creek beds, oak woodland, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.