Medicago rigidula

Tifton medick, tifton burclover, Tifton Burclover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Tifton medick is a naturalized annual found in the Peninsular Ranges at elevations below 400 meters in disturbed and agricultural areas. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces small yellow flowers about 6 to 7 millimeters long in clusters of 1 to 6 blooms. Growing with prostrate to ascending hairy stems 10 to 70 centimeters long, it spreads in a low, sprawling habit. Its leaves feature wide obovate to obcordate leaflets 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, with entire or slightly toothed edges near the tip. The distinctive fruits are disk-like, cylindrical to spherical, with 3 to 7 loosely coiled turns, covered in light yellow to dark gray prickly surfaces.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed and agricultural areas

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: PR

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.