Black Medick - Medicago lupulina

Low, often prostrate, hairy plant. Leaves are trifoliate and widest above the middle, with a nerve protruding at the broad end of each leaflet in the centre. Flowers yellow, 2 to 3 mm, many to a raceme. Pods coiled, sickle or kidney shaped, 1.5 to 3 mm, black when ripe.

Hop-trefoils - Trifolium dubium, campestre and micranthum

If there aren't any fruits, distinguished from the Hop-trefoils by the apiculate leaves - i.e. with a short fine 'needle' at the apex of the leaf. The leaves are also much hairier than the leaves of Hop-trefoils.

General photo in habitat, and close up of leaves and/or seed pods

Grass verges, mown areas.

April to September.

Annual.

Common in England and Wales, scarcer further north, mainly coastal in Scotland.

Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 538 of the 617 tetrads.