Medicago sativa subsp. sativa
alfalfa
Fabaceae (Pea family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Virginia Skilton     (Photo ID #6354)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Medicago sativa subsp. sativa
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a long taproot; stems erect to decumbent, 30-100 cm tall/long, slender, finely stiff-hairy to glabrous.
Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound; leaflets 3, elliptic-oblanceolate to lance-oblong, 1-4 cm long, saw-toothed towards the rounded to squared-off, needle-pointed tip, sparsely to densely short-hairy, the terminal leaflet stalked; stipules entire, linear-lanceolate, not sheathing, 4-12 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, head-like to cylindric, axillary raceme of (7) 20 to 80 (100) pea-like flowers, the racemes 1-4 cm long on stalks about equal to or longer than the leaves; corollas bluish-purple, occasionally pink to yellow or whitish, 7-10 mm long, the banner distinctly longer than the wings and keel; calyces a little shorter than the corollas, the awl-shaped teeth slightly longer than the tube.
Fruits:
Pods, linear-oblong, coiled in 2 to 3 spirals or slightly curved or sickle-shaped, strongly net-veined but not armed, hairy or glabrous, 2-15 mm long; seeds several to 20.
Notes:
Two subspecies occur in BC. Fertile hybrids are reported to be fairly frequent, with flowers that range from yellow to purple, often with a metallic sheen.

1. Flowers blue, rarely pink or white; pods spirally coiled, 2-4 mm long; leaflets usually 2-4 cm long................... ssp. sativa

1. Flowers yellow, rarely violet; pods merely curved, 10-15 mm long; leaflets usually 1-2 cm long.................... ssp. falcata (L.) Arcang. (sickle medic, yellow lucerne)

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Medicago sativa ssp. sativa

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1052 1035 1060
Slope Gradient (%)
56 35 85

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

179 160 223
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 2 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
4
Modal BEC Zone Class
MS

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

MS(4)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry cultivated fields, roadsides and ditches (ssp. sativa), and roadsides and dry slopes (ssp. falcata) in the steppe zone; ssp. sativa - common agricultural escape in S BC west of the Coast-Cascade Mountains, infrequent in SW BC, ssp. falcata - rare, known from scattered locations in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Medicago varia Martyn
Medicago ×varia Martyn
Medicago media Pers.
Medicago sativa subsp. varia (Martyn) Arcang.