Family: Fabaceae
alfalfa
Merel R. Black
Matthew L. Wagner
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Medicago: derived from Medike, or medick, the Greek name for alfalfa, which came to Greece from Medea
Plants: erect, perennial, 1'-3' tall forb; slender stems; deep roots
Leaves: stalked, 3-parted, long and narrow
Flowers: purple to cream, 5-parted, 1/4"-1/2" long, calyx not 2-lipped; inflorescence a stalked, rounded to cylindrical, head-like cluster (raceme) of short-stalked flowers; blooms June-Sept.
Fruits: finely-hairy pod
Habitat: disturbed sites
Hazardous: Careful, this plant is hazardous!
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
Plants: erect, perennial, 1'-3' tall forb; slender stems; deep roots
Leaves: stalked, 3-parted, long and narrow
Flowers: purple to cream, 5-parted, 1/4"-1/2" long, calyx not 2-lipped; inflorescence a stalked, rounded to cylindrical, head-like cluster (raceme) of short-stalked flowers; blooms June-Sept.
Fruits: finely-hairy pod
Habitat: disturbed sites
Hazardous: Careful, this plant is hazardous!
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
A complex hybrid of European origin, long-ago selected by humans as a forage crop. Widely planted and a fairly common escape of fields and pastures, along railroads and roadsides, riverbanks, beaches, dry to mesic prairies, and even Lake Michigan dunes. First collected in 1883. Typical alfalfa has blue-purple corollas (rarely white) and a fruit that is coiled at least 1.5–2 times when mature. Yellow-flowered alfalfa with falcate fruits have been called M. falcata L. or treated as a subspecies of M. sativa. This variant has been collected a few times in Wisconsin in fields, pastures, and other habitats occupied by M. sativa. Some yellow-flowered plants are hybrids between the two taxa, which have been called M. ×varia Martyn.; these have rarely been collected in the state. If fruit is present, they are intermediate in shape.
USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. David G. Smith's "Delaware Wilflowers": Beautiful photographs; descriptions Illinois Wildflowers: Wonderful photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leaf arrangement key Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada"
Matthew L. Wagner
Robert Bierman
Merel R. Black
Merel R. Black
Stephen L. Solheim
Kurt Stüber
Botanical Illustration
