If you have ever looked closely at a municipal grass verge or other fairly dry, frequently mown lawn, in spring or summer, then you may have noticed some small, clover-like plants with yellow flower heads that are quite a bit smaller than the purple or white ones of our common clovers.
One of these is today's Spotlight Species - Black Medick (Medicago lupulina). It is very similar to another species, Lesser Trefoil, which is actually a kind of clover (being in the genus Trefolium). Medicks differ from clovers in having having sickle-shaped or coiled fruits, which clovers never have (although their fruits are quite variable in form). Black Medick fruits start out green and tightly coiled, and turn black when ripe (presumably this is where the 'black' part of the name comes from).
However, you won't always have fruits available to look at, to confirm the identification of the plant, so there is another trick that you can use. Medick (and clover) leaves are actually made up of three leaflets (often incorrectly thought of as being three separate leaves). If you are faced with a small, yellow-flowered clover-like plant, look closely at the individual leaflets. If they have a little tooth at the end it is Black Medick. If it doesn't, it is most likely to be Lesser Trefoil. With a bit of experience you may be able to tell them apart from the look of the plant (Black Medick is usually more robust) but this is the easiest and most reliable ID trick.
Black Medick is very common in England and Wales. In Scotland it tends to be more coastal in its distribution. The name Medick (Medicago in the Scientific name) apparently comes from the fact that the Ancient Greeks believed that the fodder plant Lucerne (aka Alfalfa) which is in the same genus, came from the region known as Media (modern-day Iran).
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