Black Medick

Medicago lupulina

Found in fields, roadsides, disturbed areas, vacant lots. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height: About 2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to average

See native alternatives

Medicago lupulina — bloom photograph — DouglasGoldman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

Plant this instead

Your county or city

Choose your county to list local plants first.

Narrowleaf Sundrops
Oenothera fruticosa
Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Not applicable.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Intermediate Wood-fern
Dryopteris intermedia
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Not applicable.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or perennial
Leaves: Evergreen
Bloom: March to December
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 94 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

65CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Medicago

Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Agrotis volubilisVoluble Dart
Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm

Show all 65

Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
Apantesis figurataFigured Tiger Moth
Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Caenurgina crassiusculaForage Looper Moth, Clover Looper, Range Grass Moth
Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
Euxoa divergensDivergent Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
Hydraecia immanisHop Borer, Hop Vine Borer
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
Lacinipolia lustralisLustral "Mamestra"
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lacinipolia vicinaAllied Mamestra, Neighborly Arches
Macrochilo litophoraAngulate Fan-Foot, Brown-Lined Owlet
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Xylena nuperaRed Swordgrass Moth, American Swordgrass Moth, False Armyworm
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Medicago

Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
Branta canadensisCanada Goose
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Yellow
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Single crown
Foliage color: Dark green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “March to December” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 2 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
Soil · “Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source