Grassroots Grassroots - Vol 20 No 1 | Page 12

PASTURE OF THE MONTH Author: Malissa Murphy | [email protected] ANUAL MEDICS The regenerating wonder of the Mediterranean region of South Africa Annual medics grow well in a Mediterra- nean climate where the winters are wet and the summers are hot and dry. It is often planted in rotation with cash crops such as wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), barley ( Hordeum vulgare ), canola ( Bras- sica napus ) and oats ( Avena sativa ) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Medics are a low-grazing, pros- trate but not rooting from the nodes, spe- cies. Medicago Polymorpha cv. Cavalier on the left and cv. Scimitar on the right (Photographer: Piet Lombard) 11