1. Medicago laciniata (L.) Mill. (Medit., Macaronesia, W-As., E-Afr.) – A rare and much decreasing, ephemeral alien. Apparently first collected on a dump in Dison in 1891. Subsequently frequently recorded as a wool alien in the valley of river Vesdre, at least between 1892 and 1967 (mostly on gravelly river banks but also on dumps, waste land, etc.). Sometimes also seen along river Meuse (but probably also originating from the wool processing industry around Verviers), for instance in Meeswijk (1956) and more recently in 2003 (comm. L. Andriessen & C. Nagels) and 2011 (Boorsem). Exceptionally seen elsewhere, for instance in Hermalle-sous-Argenteau in 1943 (levelled soil, originating from river Meuse), Mechelen in 1967 (dump), etc. In 2010 seen on a demolition site of a former textile factory in Roeselare, apparently as a wool alien.
Medicago laciniata usually has remarkably laciniate leaflets. This character is only very rarely seen in other species of the genus Medicago. With its small pods and deeply dissected stipules it looks much like Medicago praecox. However, the latter has non-aristate pedicels, smaller flowers and the back of each coil is remarkably wide and perfectly smooth. From Medicago minima it is readily distinguished by the deeply dissected stipules and (much) less hairy vegetative parts.
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Selected literature:
Lambinon J., Lawalrée A., van Ooststroom S.J. & Reichgelt Th.J. (1959) Adventices lainières récoltées dans la vallée de la Vesdre en 1959. Lejeunia 23: 149-154.
Van Ooststroom S.J. & Reichgelt Th.J. (1958) Het geslacht Medicago in Nederland en België. Acta Bot. Neerl. 7: 90-123.
Wahlén P. (2006) Nyfynd av sällsynta luserner I Halmstad (Four rare Medicago species in Halm-stad, SW Sweden). Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 100: 290-292. [available online at: http://sbf.c.se/www/pdf/100%284%29/wahlen.pdf]