Medicago coronata
Medicago coronata (L.) Bartal.
Fabaceae – Pea family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ac(ii,iii)].
Morphology and biology. Annual herb. Stems 5–20 cm high. Leaves 3-foliolate with small stipules; leaflets 5–10 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, obovate, with dense simple and glandular hairs. Flowers zygomorphic, bracts membranous, inflorescence 3–12-flowered. Sepals pubescent, teeth shorter than the tube, one is usually longer. Corolla 2.5–3.5 mm long, less than twice shorter than the calyx, yellow to pale yellow. Fruit 1–4 mm in diameter, black to blackish brown cylindrical legume, in a lax spiral of 1–2 turns, on the side surface with flat, triangular spines. Seeds 1–3, reniform, bright brown or yellowish. Fl. V–VII, fr. VII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Dry grassy and rocky calcareous places. Fragmented, small in number and with low density populations.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Valley of Struma River (Southern – Kozhuh hill), Rhodopi Mts (Eastern – Ivailovgrad, Kardzhali district – Boturche village), Thracian Lowland (Besaparski Hills); up to 200 m alt.
General distribution. SE Europe, Mediterranean, N Africa, SW Asia (Asia Minor).
Threats. Small numbers, populations with restricted range; difficult seed germination; habitats disturbance; trampling; grazing.
Conservation measures taken. One locality is in the Kozhuh Nature Monument and the remaining localities are in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Kozhuharov 1976, 1984; Uzunov et al. 2002.
Author: Ana Petrova
