PLANTS Profile for Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa)

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PLANTS Profile

Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa
alfalfa

Symbol:

MESAS

Group:

Dicot

Family:

Fabaceae

Duration:

Annual
Perennial

Growth Habit:

Forb/herb

Native Status:

L48		I
AK		I
HI		I
PR		I
VI		I
CAN		I

Click on the image below to enlarge it and download a high-resolution JPEG file.

Tracey Slotta. Provided by ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. Islamic Republic of Iran. Usage Requirements.

More Information:

Images:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

Click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Medicago thumbnails at the PLANTS Gallery

Synonyms:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

	MEME9	Medicago media Pers.
	MESAV8	Medicago sativa L. ssp. varia (Martyn) Arcang.
	MEVA2	Medicago ×varia Martyn

Distribution:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa


View Native Status

See U.S. county distributions (when available) by clicking on the map or the linked states below:
USA (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), USA+ (PR, VI), CAN (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT)

Related Taxa:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

View 236 genera in Fabaceae, 38 species in Medicago, 5 subspecies in Medicago sativa L.

Classification:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.


Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Rosidae
Order	Fabales
Family	Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus	Medicago L. – alfalfa
Species	Medicago sativa L. – alfalfa
Subspecies	Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa – alfalfa

U.S. Weed Information:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

Medicago sativa
alfalfa

The related entity italicized and indented above can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below. This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Click on an acronym to view each weed list, or click here for a composite list of Weeds of the U.S.

SWSS

Southern Weed Science Society. 1998. Weeds of the United States and Canada. CD-ROM. Southern Weed Science Society. Champaign, Illinois.

Introduced Information:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

This plant is introduced to some part of the PLANTS Floristic Area, though it may be native in other parts. Click on link below for a partial or complete list of PFA introduced plants.

Scientific Name=	A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| all
Common Name=	A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| all

More Accounts and Images:
Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa

View species account from ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

View taxonomic account from Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for ITIS Taxonomic Serial Number 524303.

View species account and distribution map from Jepson Interchange (University of California - Berkeley).

View species account and photographs from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Freckmann Herbarium.

Time Generated: 05/22/2013 12:36 AM CDT