Medicago orbicularis
Encyclopedia
Medicago orbicularis is a plant species of the genus Medicago
. It is found throughout the Mediterranean basin. It forms a symbiotic
relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation
. Common names include button clover, button medick, and round-fruited medick.
Medicago
Medicago is a genus of flowering plants, commonly known as medick or burclover. The name is based on Latin medica 'alfalfa, lucerne,' from 'Median .'...
. It is found throughout the Mediterranean basin. It forms a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
. Common names include button clover, button medick, and round-fruited medick.