Medicago scutellata
Medicago scutellata
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Medicago scutellata is a plant of the Mediterranean region. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 26°c, but can tolerate 9 - 30°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 900mm, but tolerates 350 - 1,200mm[1]. Grows best in a sunny position, tolerating light shade[1]. It thrives on most soil types, particularly heavy and loamy soils, and succeeding where fertility is poor[2, 1]. The plant is susceptible to water logging as it is native to well drained soils[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].
Propagation
Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in containers in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle, and plant out in late spring or early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Medicago+scutellata>
Pollinators
Insects, Self
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [3]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.