Botanical description of the fruits and seed of black medic
1 min read
Family: FABACEAE Lindl.
Black medic is the most common weed in plant produce. The plant actively infests crops of grain crops, plantings of perennial grasses, and vegetable gardens, and is also regularly found in meadows. Controlling it is relevant for many regions, as the weed is widely distributed in the following territories:
- European part (central and southern regions);
- Crimea;
- Caucasus;
- Central Asia.
Black medic pods are extremely difficult to open, which is why the seed almost always remains inside them. This significantly complicates the cleaning of seed material from weed impurities.
Morphological characteristics of pods and seeds
The weed's pods have a kidney-oval, slightly compressed shape and contain only one seed. The perianth and pedicel often remain at their base. The surface of the pod is covered with raised reticulate-arcuate veins and sparse hairs. The color of the pods is usually black or dark brown; light brown pods are rarer.
The plant's seeds are also characterized by a kidney-oval shape. Their surface is smooth, slightly shiny, or matte. The seed color can be yellow, greenish-yellow, or yellowish-brown. The precise geometric parameters of the pods and seeds are shown in the table.
| Type of material | Length, mm | Width, mm | Thickness, mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pods (fruits) | 1,752,5 | 23 | 11,7 |
| Seed | 1,52 | 11,25 | 0,751 |
The main diagnostic feature when analyzing seed purity is the dark dotted hilum located under the radicle protrusion. The radicle itself is barely visible, equal in thickness to the cotyledons, and is about 1/2 of their length, with its tip clearly standing out as a sharp protrusion.
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