Black medic is normally a summer annual, but can act as a perennial in some conditions. It has a taproot and spreads low to the ground, but does not root from nodes on the stems. Black medic is more active on soils low in nitrogen fertility. The leaf is similar to clover, having three leaflets with the center leaflet on a separate petiole. The flower of black medic is a compressed cluster of bright yellow flowers in the shape of a globular spike on short branches. The seed pod will turn black at maturity. Black medic produces viable seed under normal mowing conditions.
