Medicago intertexta
(L.) Mill. Calvary MedicErect or ascending annual herb; stems 30–50 cm long, glabrous to sparsely hairy; hairs simple. Leaflets obovate or elliptic, 6–25 mm long, 5–15 mm wide, margins minutely dentate almost to base, upper surface glabrous with a dark patch at base, lower surface sparsely appressed-hairy, apex acute, rounded or retuse, with a terminal tooth; stipules to c. 7 mm long, deeply incised, hairy on lower surface. Inflorescence 3–7-flowered; peduncle to 2 cm long, equal to or longer than subtending petiole. Pedicels to c. 4 mm long; calyx 3–5 mm long, teeth equal to or longer than tube; corolla yellow; standard 7–10 mm long; wings equal to or longer than keel. Pods with 6–12 loose coils, globose or ovoid, 11–16 mm long, 10–15 mm diam., covered with long hairs, spiny; coil edge broad, flat; face with 6–9 curved veins; veins anastomosing; submarginal vein absent; spines 16–19 on each side of coil, 3–6 mm long, curved and interlocking with those on adjacent coils; seeds 5–11, to c. 5 mm long, brown or black. Flowers Sep.–Dec.
Also naturalised WA, NSW. Native to the western Mediterranean region. Recorded twice in 1920 from the Drysdale district on the Bellarine Peninsula.
The 3 varieties recognized by Heyn (1963) are treated at species level by recent authors (e.g. Wiersema et al. 1990, Small & Jomphe 1989); only the type variety is represented in Australia.
Jeanes, J.A. (1996). Fabaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 663–829. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
