Taxon:  Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel.



Summary
Genus:
Medicago
Section:
Spirocarpos
Subsection:
Pachyspireae
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Trifolieae
Nomen number:
23612
Place of publication:
Not. fl. France 118.  1810
Comment:
spelling verified from original literature
Verified:
10/13/1989 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
190 (180  active, 177  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel. var. littoralis (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel. var. inermis Moris

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)
Fruit

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
  2. Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. 1976-. Flora of Libya.
  3. Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
  4. Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
  5. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  6. Eriksson, O. et al. 1979. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 2.
  7. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  8. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  9. Heyn, C. C. 1963. The annual species of Medicago. Scripta Hierosolymitana 12:91.
  10. Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
  11. International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
  12. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. 1931-1941. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc. Note: lists as "litoralis"
  13. Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
  14. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
  15. Lesins, K. A. & I. Lesins. 1979. Genus Medicago (Leguminosae). A taxogenetic study 162.
  16. Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
  17. Pignatti, S. 1982. Flora d'Italia.
  18. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  19. Pottier-Alapetite, G. 1979-1981. Flore de la Tunisie: Angiospermes-Dicotyledones.
  20. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie. Note: lists as "litoralis"
  21. Quiros, C. F. & G. R. Bauchan. 1988. The genus Medicago and the origin of the Medicago sativa complex. In A. A. Hanson et al., eds., Alfalfa and alfalfa improvement. Agronomy 29:93-124.
  22. Sales, F. & I. C. Hedge. 1994. Medicago L. (Leguminosae): typification and nomenclature. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 51:323. Note: lectotypifies
  23. Small, E. & M. Jomphe. 1989. A synopsis of the genus Medicago (Leguminosae). Canad. J. Bot. 67:3270.
  24. Small, E. et al. 1981. The taxonomic value of floral characters in tribe Trigonelleae (Leguminosae), with special reference to Medicago. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1580.
  25. Small, E. 1981. A numerical analysis of major groupings in Medicago employing traditionally used characters. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1555.
  26. Small, E. 2011. Alfalfa and relatives: Evolution and classification of Medicago. Alfalfa and relatives: evolution and classification of Medicago 355-362. Note: comments that it can be confused with its morphological similar Medicago truncatula
  27. Smythies, B. E. 1984-1986. Flora of Spain and the Balearic Islands: checklist of vascular plants. Englera 3:1-882.
  28. Täckholm, V. 1974. Students' flora of Egypt, ed. 2.
  29. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  30. University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
  31. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina. Note: lists as "litoralis"
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishshore medick  1Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
Englishstrand medic  1University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Italianmedica litorale  2International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands Heyn, C. C. 1963. The annual species of Medicago. Scripta Hierosolymitana 12:91.
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanarias Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusGeorgia  Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusRussian FederationKrasnodar Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
1NativeAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTurkmenistan  Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  Heyn, C. C. 1963. The annual species of Medicago. Scripta Hierosolymitana 12:91.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece incl. CreteGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly incl. Sardinia, SicilyGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance incl. CorsicaTutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain incl. BalearesGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
2Cultivated    also cult. 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
Asia-Temperate
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
  • CAUCASUS: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation [Krasnodar]
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Turkmenistan
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily)
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia

Reference(s)
  1. Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
  2. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  3. Heyn, C. C. 1963. The annual species of Medicago. Scripta Hierosolymitana 12:91.
  4. Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
  5. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: lists as "litoralis"
  6. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforage Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina. Note: lists as "litoralis"
Environmentalsoil improver University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=23612. Accessed 12 May 2026.