Etymology:
– The word “alfalfa” is a Spanish modification of the Arabic word “al-faṣfaṣa.”
History:
– Alfalfa seems to have originated in south-central Asia, and was first cultivated in Central Asia.
– According to Pliny (died 79 AD), it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the Persians invaded Greek territory.
– Alfalfa cultivation is discussed in the fourth-century AD book “Opus Agriculturae” by Palladius.
– The medieval Arabic agricultural writer Ibn al-Awwam discussed how to cultivate alfalfa in the 12th century.
– Spanish colonizers introduced alfalfa to the Americas as fodder for their horses in the 16th century.
Ecology:
– Alfalfa is a perennial forage legume that normally lives four to eight years.
– The plant grows to a height of up to 1 meter and has a deep root system.
– The root system can grow to a depth of more than 15 meters to reach groundwater.
– The deep root system helps improve soil nitrogen fertility and protect from soil erosion.
– The perenniality of crowns helps store carbohydrates.
Cultivation:
– Alfalfa is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world.
– It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop.
– The plant superficially resembles clover, especially when young.
– It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiraled in two to three turns containing 10–20 seeds.
– Alfalfa is native to warmer temperate climates.
Global Impact:
– Alfalfa has been cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
– It was introduced to the North American colonies in the 18th century.
– Alfalfa seeds were imported to California from Chile in the 1850s, leading to extensive cultivation in the western United States.
– North and South America now produce a large part of the world’s alfalfa output.
– The word “alfalfa” has slowly entered other languages due to its widespread cultivation.
Alfalfa (/ælˈfælfə/) (Medicago sativa), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop. The name alfalfa is used in North America. The name lucerne is more commonly used in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The plant superficially resembles clover (a cousin in the same family), especially while young, when trifoliate leaves comprising round leaflets predominate. Later in maturity, leaflets are elongated. It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiralled in two to three turns containing 10–20 seeds. Alfalfa is native to warmer temperate climates. It has been cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
| Alfalfa | |
|---|---|
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| Medicago sativa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Medicago |
| Section: | M. sect. Medicago |
| Species: | M. sativa
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| Binomial name | |
| Medicago sativa | |
| Subspecies | |
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List
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