alfalfa
(Medicago sativa ssp. sativa)
| Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe |
NNA - Not applicable SNA - Not applicable |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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| Wetland Indicator Status |
Great Plains |
UPL - Obligate upland | |||||
Midwest |
FACU - Facultative upland |
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Northcentral & Northeast |
UPL - Obligate upland |
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| Nativity | Native of western Asia and Egypt. Cultivated and naturalized. |
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| Occurrence | Common |
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| Habitat | Disturbed sites |
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| Flowering | June to September |
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| Flower Color | Purple to cream |
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| Height | 12″ to 36″ | ||||||
| Identification | The flowers are usually purple, sometimes yellow or white. |
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| Similar Species |
Yellow alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. falcata) has yellow flowers. |
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| Distribution |  |
Sources: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 22, 28. | |||||
| Comments |
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| Taxonomy | Family: |
Fabaceae (pea) |
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Subfamily: |
Faboideae (Papilionoideae) |
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Tribe: |
Trifolieae |
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Genus: |
Medicago |
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Section: |
Medicago |
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| Synonyms | Medicago sativa ssp. varia Medicago X varia |
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| Common Names |
alfalfa |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Plant |
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Inflorescence |
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Inflorescence with Both Yellow and Purple Flowers |
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Flowers |
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Stem |
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Fruit |
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Slideshows |
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| Medicago sativa Matt Lavin |
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About
Introduced perennial herb, stem erect, to nearly 1 m tall, leaflets with serrate margins at least distally, explosive pollen release and coiled pods are the distinctive the genus, often escaping cultivation along roadsides, open fields, and areas of regular disturbance. |
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| Medicago sativa Susanne Wiik |
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| Medicago Sativa trolltrolled1 |
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About
Uploaded on May 18, 2011 Plants of future (http://www.pfaf.org) GRIN - Taxonomic information (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxfam.pl?language=es) |
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| Medicago sativa Anaïs Déu Rosselló |
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About
Published on May 8, 2013 http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Medicago+sativa http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?23676 |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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| Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) / Luzerne - 2012-06-16 W3stlander |
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About
Published on Jun 18, 2012 Alfalfa (Medicago sativa). --------------- 52.02048 4.30951 |
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Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Avon Hills Forest SNA Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Felton Prairie SNA Lake Alexander Woods SNA Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie Minnesota Valley NWR Mound Spring Prairie SNA Pembina Trail Preserve SNA Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve Verlyn Marth Memorial Prairie SNA |
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