Medicago sativa
Also known as lucerne, alfalfa
Alfalfa (; in North America), lucerne (in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand), Medicago sativa is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world and is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop. It has also been cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Alfalfa has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiraled in two to three turns containing 10–20 seeds. It is native to warmer temper
AI overview
Medicago sativa, commonly called alfalfa in North America and lucerne elsewhere, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family that has been cultivated for thousands of years as an essential feed crop for livestock. It is widely grown around the world today for grazing, hay, and silage, and also serves as a green manure and cover crop that improves soil.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
alfalfa
Medicago sativa
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderFabales
- FamilyFabaceae
Native toAlgeria, France, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krym, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus
General: Alfalfa, also called lucerne (Medicago sativa
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Research
7,677 papers- Medicago sativa.ReviewAnnals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology · 2005
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Description
- Etymology
- History
- Ecology
- Pests and diseases
- Cultivation
- Harvesting
- Production
- United States
- Australia
- Alfalfa and bees
- Varieties
- Genetic modification
- Legal issues in the US
- Safety concerns
- Toxicity of canavanine
- Phytoestrogens and effect on livestock fertility
- Nutrition
- Sprouts
- References
- External links
Alfalfa (; in North America), lucerne (in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand), Medicago sativa is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world and is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop. It has also been cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Alfalfa has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiraled in two to three turns containing 10–20 seeds. It is native to warmer temperate climates.
==Description==
Gallery (34)
On the map
3 mapped locations