Medicago sativa

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

Browse Photos

Consortia links

Image searches

Family:	FABACEAE
Species:	Medicago sativa L.
Common Name:	ALFALFA
Status:	Not Native, UPL (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	FABALES
Family	FABACEAE
Genus	Medicago
Species	Medicago sativa L. - ALFALFA

Citation

Citation	MEDICAGO SATIVA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 778. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Without data (lectotype: Morison, Pl. Hist. Univ. 2: t. 16(2). 1680). Lectotypified by Heyn, Bull. Res. Council israel, Sect. D, Bot. 7: 162. 1959.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Escambia	FLAS
Gadsden	FSU
Glades	FLAS
Hillsborough	USF
Leon	FLAS
Miami-Dade	FTG
Santa Rosa	USF
Volusia	FLAS

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym
Medica legitima	Medica legitima Greene, Man. Bot. San Francisco 101. 1894, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Medica sativa	Medica sativa (Linnaeus) Lamarck, Fl. Franc. 2: 584. 1779 ("1778").	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Medicago sativa subsp. macrocarpa	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, subsp. macrocarpa Urban, Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 15: 57. 1873, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Medicago sativa var. falcata	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. falcata Urban, Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 15: 57. 1873, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Medicago sativa var. vulgaris	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. vulgaris Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 75. 1866, nom. inadmiss.	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus 1753.
Medicago agropyretorum	Medicago agropyretorum Vassilczenko, Bot. Zurn. SSSR 26(1): 32. 1941.
Medicago asiatica	Medicago asiatica Sinskaya, Fl. Cult. Pl. USSR 13: 70. 1951.
Medicago caerulea var. pauciflora	Medicago caerulea Lessing ex Ledebour, var. pauciflora (Ledebour) Grossheim, in Komarov, Fl. URSS 11: 151. 1945.	BASIONYM: Medicago pauciflora Ledebour 1843.
Medicago caucasica	Medicago caucasica Vassilczenko, Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 13: 141. 1950.
Medicago grandiflora	Medicago grandiflora (Grossheim) Vassilczenko, Vol. Sci. Works Leningrad 1941-1943: 101. 1946.	BASIONYM: Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. grandiflora Grossheim 1919.
Medicago karatschaica	Medicago karatschaica Latschaschvili, Not. Syst. Geogr. Inst. Bot. Tibilissi 21: 29. 1959.
Medicago lavrenkoi	Medicago lavrenkoi Vassilczenko, Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 13: 141. 1950.
Medicago mesopotamica	Medicago mesopotamica Vassilczenko, Bot. Zurn. SSSR 31(3): 27. 1946.
Medicago pauciflora	Medicago pauciflora Ledebour, Fl. Ross. 1: 526. 1843.
Medicago praesativa	Medicago praesativa Sinskaya, Kul'turnaja Fl. SSSR 13(1): 51. 1950.
Medicago rivularis	Medicago rivularis Vassilczenko, Vol. Sci. Works Leningrad 1941-1943: 101. 1946.
Medicago sativa var. grandiflora	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. grandiflora Grossheim, Obs. Dr.-Kavk. Medicago 28. 1919.
Medicago sativa var. parviflora	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. parviflora Grossheim, Obs. Kr.-Kavk. Medicago 28. 1919.
Medicago sativa var. pauciflora	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. pauciflora (Ledebour) Urban, Veh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 15: 57. 1873.	BASIONYM: Medicago pauciflora Ledebour 1843.
Medicago sativa var. pilifera	Medicago sativa Linnaeus, var. pilifera Urban, Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 15: 57. 1873.
Medicago sogdiana	Medicago sogdiana Vassilczenko, Bot. Zurn. SSSR 31(3): 24. 1946.
Medicago transoxana	Medicago transoxana Vassilczenko, Vol. Sci. Works Leningrad 1941-1943: 101. 1946.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Santa Rosa Co.	16 Apr 1977	G. Wilhelm 3257
USA	Florida	Leon Co.	14 Mar 1957	R. K. Godfrey 55454
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	02 Jul 1989	C. vanHoek 197
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	26 Jul 1959	V. Ducey 129
USA	North Carolina	Swain Co.	01 Aug 1986	C. vanHoek 24
USA	South Carolina	Oconee Co.	07 Sep 1969	V. Ducey 259
USA	Louisiana	St. Tammany Par.	15 Jun 1983	R. D. Thomas 84299
Mexico	Oaxaca	San Baltazar Chichicapan Mun.	29 Apr 1991	G. Gomez 91-4-2	Zapoteco name: cwaihn.
USA	California	Santa Clara Co.	01 Jul 1893	W. R. Dudley s.n.
USA	Virginia	Orange Co.	04 Jun 1983	T. R. Bradley 19190
USA	Pennsylvania	Lancaster Co.	07 Sep 1980	R. P. Sauleda 4165
USA	Pennsylvania	Bucks Co.	06 Oct 1946	B. Long 65409
USA	Kentucky	Pulaski Co.	01 Jun 1991	J. Richard Abbott 377
USA	Missouri	Caldwell Co.	07 Jun 1969	N. C. Henderson 69-112
USA	Tennessee	Cocke Co.	15 Aug 1977	P. Genelle 3072
Canada	Quebec		25 Jun 1968	J. Pinder-Moss s.n.
USA	Texas	Pecos Co.	19 May 1986	R. P. Sauleda 9077
USA	Illinois	St. Clair Co.	02 Aug 1978	J. G. Saunders 795
USA	Nebraska	Keith Co.	26 Jun 1987	R. Arias s.n.
USA	Maryland	Caroline Co.	12 Jul 2008	W. D. Longbottom 11749
USA	Nebraska	Garden Co.	28 Jun 1987	R. Arias s.n.
USA	Minnesota	Jackson Co.	26 Aug 1981	R. P. Sauleda 6137
USA	Virginia	Orange Co.	04 Sep 1982	T. R. Bradley 18400
USA	Maryland	Wicomico Co.	16 Jun 2010	W. D. Longbottom 13616
USA	Illinois	McHenry Co.	29 Jun 2007	S. R. Hill 37538
USA	Indiana	Jay Co.	28 Jul 2007	A. R. Franck 500
USA	Maryland	Anne Arundel Co.	15 May 2010	W. D. Longbottom 13314
USA	Arizona	Coconino Co.	29 Jun 1972	P. Genelle 1378
USA	Washington	Kittitas Co.	25 Jul 1915	O. E. Jennings 9057
USA	Maryland	Caroline Co.	19 May 2010	W. D. Longbottom 13335
USA	Virginia	Spotsylvania Co.	20 Aug 1981	T. R. Bradley 17551
USA	Maine	Franklin Co.	27 Aug 1948	C. A. Knowlton s.n.
USA	Pennsylvania	Northampton-Lehigh Co.	01 Jan 1838	J. Welle s.n.
USA	Colorado	Gunnison Co.	13 Jul 1959	N. H. Russell 10360
USA	Virginia	Montgomery Co.	15 Sep 1960	R. Kral 11545
USA	New York	Ontario Co.	17 Jun 1905	P. Dowell 3812
USA	Nebraska	Devel	06 Aug 1975	T. O. McDonald s.n.
USA	Minnesota	Blue Earth Co.	28 Jul 1959	J. Behrens s.n.
USA	North Carolina	Rockingham Co.	07 Jul 1956	A. E. Radford 13601
USA	Colorado	Gunnison Co.	13 Jul 1959	N. H. Russell 10360

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

Filter by County - Counties to Include - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will be found within each of the selected counties.

Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org websites

Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Search Help

Select the criterion by which you wish to search (Scientific name, Genus, Family, etc.) and enter that information into the provided field.

Hint: Correct spelling is necessary for desired results, but because this function is a string search the full name need not be entered. Any correct part of a taxon name can be entered and a choice of the correct one made from the small list of resulting matches.

For example, matching the full name exactly in a Scientific Name search for Piptochaetium avenacioides may be difficult, but strings of either tium aven or avenaci or m avenac or pipto will all result in very small lists of matches. The intended name can then be chosen from any of those lists. Usually, the last letter (or two) of a given genus, a space, and the first few correct letters of the specific epithet will provide a sufficiently short list containing the desired taxon.

A similar example in a Common Name search is Virginia snakeroot. Searching using "snake root" will yield no results due to the extra space, but searching "snake" will generate a short list of plants with the word "snake" in the common name. Furthermore, a search of "Virginia snake" or even "nia snak" yields one result: Virginia snakeroot.

If, after following the above advice, then difficulties are still encountered please use the "browse" feature.

Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

Only plant populations vouchered by specimens deposited in Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ recognized herbaria are represented on this map.