Medicago polymorpha

I haven't updated in a while, because we've still been bagging rings (bagging and labeling 1600 rings takes a while!) and cataloging things that are a little hard to show on the blog.  We just got into some pretty interesting brass, so I'll get that up this coming week.

For now, I thought I'd share an interesting little artifact.

You probably recognize it, despite the bad photography.  It's a seed from Medicago polymorpha, which most of us know as Bur Clover.  It was found aboard La Belle, where it'd been brought over from France, likely stuck to a sailor's clothes.  Medicago polymorpha isn't native to the New World, but it's found all over. While we can't say for sure, it may well be that La Belle played a part in this species invasion.

We usually think of ships like La Belle as "French".  But all ships are really global, by dint of their role in spreading culture, species, and goods.