Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Medicago sativa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Alfalfa is the only one of NC's medicks that has violet-blue flowers (the rest are yellow). Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago sativa ssp. falcata
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
INCLUDING Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago falcata
INCLUDING Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago sativa
INCLUDING VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-16-001:
Medicago sativa FAMILY Fabaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago falcata
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago sativa
COMMON NAME:
Alfalfa, Lucerne, Blue Alfalfa
NameThatPlant has no pictures at this time. You might try this link: Flora of the Southeastern United States
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Medicago sativa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago sativa ssp. falcata
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
INCLUDING
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago falcata
INCLUDING
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Medicago sativa
INCLUDING
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-16-001:
Medicago sativa
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago falcata
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Medicago sativa
3267
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe & southwest Asia
Common (uncommon in GA Piedmont) (rare in Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Blue-violet, purple
(rarely white or varicolored)
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-toothed campanulate calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Inflorescence an axillary raceme
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall?
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p415
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p200
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p086
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".