Medicago truncatula Gaertn. 

Family: Fabaceae

General Appearance

Medicago truncatula Gaertn., it is an annual herb, sparsely villous, prostrate to ascending, 15-30 (-50) cm long. Stipules lanceolate, deeply dentate to laciniate. Leaflets obovate-cuneate, 8-15 x 7-12 mm, truncate, often retuse, dentate-serrate or laciniate above. Peduncles about equal to petiole, produced into a filiform arista, with 1-2 (-3)-flowered raceme. Flowers 6-8 mm long, yellow, bracts cuspidate, c. 1.5 mm long, exceeding the short pedicels. Calyx teeth as long as or exceeding the tube, pilose. Corolla 5-6 cm long, less than twice as long as calyx; standard exceeding the wings and keel. Pods 5-8 mm in diam., in a spiral of usually 3-6 turns, cylindrical, sparsely villous, spiny; transverse veins scarcely anastomosing, joining a very thick sub marginal vein separated from the slender but distinct marginal vein by the grooves; spines up to more than half as long as the diameter of the pod, curved or uncinate, each arising partly from the marginal and partly from the sub marginal vein, 1-2-secded in each coil. Seeds 3-3.5 mm, yellow, smooth.

Flowering in: Feb-May.

Life Form

Th

Phytochoria

MED+IT. The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Medit. to Iraq.

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jafarah Plain:  Sabrata 2008

Zliten-Misurata Plain:  Kaam area 2005  Misurata 2008

Benghazi Plain:  Wadi El-Ghattara 2010  Between Slouk and Al-Abiar 2016  Ajdabia (Al-Bedan) 2016   (35 Km) South East of Benghazi (adjacent to the Jardinah village) 2020

Jabal Nafusa:  Wadi Malah, (10 km) from Nalut 1972  (27 km before Mizda 1974  Tarhuna (Hejaz) 2018

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:  Slonta 1970  Susa, costal road from Baida to Derna, Wadi Mahbool 1973  Shahat 1978  Wadi Al-Agar 1999  Wadi Zaza 2003  Al-Mansora 2013  Wadi Derna 2017

Marmarica Plateau:  Reported in Marmarica north-eastern part of Libya by Pampanini 1930  From Tobruk to Egyptian Border 1999  Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2002  Dafna region (Tobruk to Msaid) 2008

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S.M.H. & El-Gadi, A. (1980) Flora of Libya, Fabaceae Vol.  (86) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. Page. 195.

Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest:

El-Taguri, H.M., El-Mogasapi, A.M., El-Barasi, Y.M. (2020) Weed Flora of Man-Made river agriculture project (Masiklo). Libyan Journal of Science & Technology 11:1 (2020) 61-64. http://repository.uob.edu.ly/bitstream/handle/123456789/1291/15.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y,  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdusslam-Elmogasapi, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi,  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341993267_Weed_Flora_of_Man-Made_river_agriculture_project_Masiklo

Weed Flora of Man-Made river agriculture project (Masiklo). Libya.2020

Saaed, M.W.B., EL-Barasi, Y.M. & Rahil, R.O. (2021) An updated checklist and quantitative analysis of the Marmarica Plateau flora, in the north-eastern part of Libya. Phytotaxa 509 (1): 001-055. https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.509.1.1

An-updated-checklist-and-quantitative-analysis-of-the-Marmarica-Plateau-flora-مضغوط

Mahklouf, M.H. Sherif, A.S, Betelmal, A. G. (2018) Floristic Study for Tarhuna-Libya. Hacettepe J. Biol. & Chem, 2018, 46 (3), 337-364. http://www.hjbc.hacettepe.edu.tr/journal/volume-46/issue-3/floristic-study-for-tarhuna-libya/index.html

Floristic Study for Tarhuna–Libya. 2018

Ab-Aziza, F.B., El–Barasi, Y.M. and Rahil, R.O. (2017) Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna-El-Jabal. Research article I Botany l Version 1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fatma-Abuaziza, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil

Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna. 2017

El-Zerbi, A. K., Al-Borki, A. S., Al-Aib, M.A. (2016) Study of vegetation in Protected Al-Bedan southeast of Ajdabiya, Libya. Journal of Marine Sciences and Environmental Technologies-No. (2) Volume (2) December 2016. ISSN: 2413-5267(In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdulhamid-Alzerbi, https://journals.asmarya.edu.ly/jmset/index.php/JMSET/article/view/103, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371283472_drast_alghta_alnbaty_bmhmyt_albydan_jnwb_shrq_ajdabya_lybya

دراسة الغطاء النباتي بمحمية البيضان جنوب شرق اجدابيا- ليبيا. 2016

Raheel, RO. M., El-Borasi, Y. M., El-Barrani, M. W., El-Hassi, S. (2016) Study of Flora and vegetation cover of the semi-desert area between Salouq and Al-Abyar-the first high of Jabal Al-Akhdar-Libya, Fourth Scientific Conference for Environment and Sustainable Development In dry and semi-arid areas. Ajdabia. Libya. (In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi,  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil

دراسة الفلورا والغطاء النباتي للمنطقة الشبه صحراوية الممتدة بين مدينتي سلوق والابيار . 2016

Abusaief, H. M. A. and Dakhil, A. H. (2013) The floristic composition of Rocky habitat of Al Mansora in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar- Libya. New York Science Journal 2013; 6(5).  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Huda-Abusaief

Foristic composition of Rocky habitat of Al Mansora in Al- Jabal Al- Akhdar 2013

El-Rabiai, G.T., Al tira, F.M., Lamlom, S.H. (2010) Preliminary Checklist for the Flora of Wadi El Ghattara in Libya. Garyounis University Press Journal of Science and Its Applications Vol. 4, No. 1, pp 39-47, December 2010. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Wz8jpkIAAAAJ&hl=ar, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ALTsoucAAAAJ&hl=en,   https://journals.uob.edu.ly/index.php/sjuob/issue/view/71

Checklist for the Flora of Wadi El Ghattara in Libya. 2010

Baayo, Kh. A. (2008): Floristic composition and Phytochorological Analysis of Misratah area, Libya, Assiut Univ.J. of Botany 37(2), P-P. 33-78 (2008).

Barrani, M. W. (2008) A study of environmental degradation factors in the semi-desert Dafna Region-Libya. Master Thesis-Department of Science and environmental Engineering-Postgraduate Academy Benghazi branch. (In Arabic).

El-Yafour, L. A. (2008) Taxonomic study of the vegetation properties of Sabratha city Master Thesis. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Al-Zawiya University, Libya. (In Arabic).

Al-Shif, N. S. (2005) a taxonomic study of the plants of the Kaam region. Master Thesis, College of Science, Al-Marqab University, Al-Khums, Libya. (In Arabic).

El-Barasi, Y. M., EI-Sherif, l. M. & Gawhari, A. M. H. (2003) Checklist and analysis of the flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza at AI-Jabal AI Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya). Bocconea 16 (2): 1091-1105. 2003. – ISSN 1120-4060. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmed-Gawhari,  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281559070_Checklist_and_analysis_of_the_flora_and_vegetation_of_Wadi_Zaza_at_AI-Jabal_AI_Akhdar_Cyrenaica_Libya

Flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza at Al-Jabal AI Akhdar 2003-مضغوط

El-Shaary M.S. (2002). The Natural Vegetation in Marmarica plateau (North-eastern Libya). First ed. Tobruk (Libya): Published by the local Authority. (In Arabic).

Al-Hamadi R.I. (1999) Floristic and ecological study of Wadi Al-Agar, Master Thesis, Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya. (In Arabic).

EL-Habony, A.M. (1999) Vegetation and flora of a sector along Mediterranean cost of Libya from Tobruk to Egyptian border, M.Sc. Thesis, Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya. (In Arabic).

PAMPANINI, R. (1931). Prodromo della Flora Cirenaica. -: 252 – under: Medicago truncatula var. tentaculata (Willd.) Asch. & Graebn., 253 – under: Medicago truncatula var. cosyrensis (Sommier) Fiori, 254 – under: Medicago tribuloides Desr.  https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/14218-prodromo-della-flora-cirenaica

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