UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Medicago sativa

alfalfa, lucerne
Habit Usually glabrous perennial from a long taproot, the stems more or less erect, 3-10 dm. tall.
Leaves

Leaves trifoliate, the leaflets elliptic-oblanceolate, finely dentate on the outer end, 2-4 cm. long. stipules entire.
Flowers

Inflorescence of dense racemes on peduncles 1-3 cm, long arising in the leaf axils;

flowers 20-100, usually bluish-purple, but often whitish, yellow, or even pink;

calyx 5-toothed, nearly as long as the corolla;

corolla pea-like, 4-5 mm. long, the banner erect, much longer than the wings and keel.
Fruits

Pod many-seeded, coiled in 2-3 spirals, not armed.

Medicago sativa
Flowering time May-October
Habitat Roadsides, fields, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas; often escaping from commercial cultivation.
Distribution
Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced
Conservation status Not of concern
Sibling taxa
M. arabica, M. lupulina, M. minima, M. polymorpha
Subordinate taxa
M. sativa ssp. falcata, M. sativa ssp. sativa, M. sativa ssp. ×varia
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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