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alfalfa, lucerne

southern medic

Habit Plants perennial, 20–80 cm, glabrous to puberulent.
Stems

decumbent to erect, glabrous to puberulent.

Leaves

sub-palmate;

leaflets narrowly lanceolate to obovate; length > width, 8–29 mm, bases cuneate;

margins distally serrate;

veins prominent;

tips truncate to rounded;

surfaces pubescent;

petioles 3–15 mm;

petiolules 1–6 mm;

stipules 6–14 mm;

margins entire to sharply toothed.

Inflorescences

8–30-flowered; ovoid to oblong;

peduncles 8–40 mm;

pedicels 1–3 mm.

Flowers

calyces 4–5.5 mm;

corollas 8–10 mm, violet or variegated yellow-violet.

Fruits

spirally coiled 2–3 turns, rarely sickle-shaped, with doughnut-like hole visible in center of coils, 3–5 mm, villous, unarmed.

Seeds

several, reniform, 1–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, yellow; brownish; greenish yellow or violet-brown.

2n

=16, 32.

Medicago sativa

Medicago turbinata

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sandy or rocky areas, riparian areas, fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. Flowering Jun–Aug. 0–1500 m. BR, Casc, Col, CR, ECas, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; worldwide. Exotic.

Medicago sativa is the only Oregon species with purple or variegated flowers and with coiled, non-spiny fruits containing several seeds. It also has the largest flowers (approaching 1 cm in length) and more flowers per inflorescence than most of our other species. Medicago sativa is commonly used as a cover crop or green manure.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 709
Nurul Khalib, Melanie Link-Perez
Sibling taxa
M. arabica, M. falcata, M. lupulina, M. minima, M. polymorpha, M. praecox, M. turbinata
M. arabica, M. falcata, M. lupulina, M. minima, M. polymorpha, M. praecox, M. sativa
Synonyms Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
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