Fabaceae

Alfalfa

Medicago sativa L.

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Medicago

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Alfalfa: Medicago sativa - lucerne in Keila, Estonia. — Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (63)

Afrikaans: Lusern
Albanian: Jonxhë
Arabic: ألفاألفا, ألفالفا, الفصة, الفصفصة, برسيم حجازي, فصة معمرة, فصفصة, أسبست
Aragonese: Alfalz, Alfaz
Armenian: Առվույտ
arz: برسيم
Asturian: Alfalfa
Basque: Argi-belar
Bulgarian: Люцерна, Посевна люцерна
Catalan: Alfals, Alfalç, Userda
Central Kurdish: وێنجە
Chinese: 牧蓿, 紫花苜蓿, 紫苜蓿, 紫苜蓿（紫花苜蓿）, 苗蓿, 苜蓿, 苜蓿子, 路蒸
chy: Otá'tavö'êstse
csb: Séwnô lucerna
Czech: Alfalfa, Vojtěška, Tolice vojtěška
Danish: Lucerne, Alfalfa
Dutch: Luzerne, Alfalfa, Luzerneklaver, Luzernescheuten
English: Alfalfa, Lucerne
Esperanto: Luzerno
Estonian: Taevasinine lutsern
Finnish: Alfalfa, Luserni, Sinimailanen
French: Alfalfa, Luzerne, Luzerne commune, Luzerne cultivee, Luzerne cultivée
Georgian: Იონჯა
German: Luzerne, Saat-Luzerne
Gujarati: રજકો
gv: Alfalfey
Hebrew: אלפלפה, אספסת תרבותית
Hindi: अल्फाल्फा
hsb: Lucerna, Módra šlinčina
Hungarian: Takarmánylucerna
Icelandic: Lúserna, Refasmári
Indonesian: Alfalfa
io: Luzerno
Italian: Erba medica, Erba spagna, Medica
Japanese: アルファルファ, ムラサキウマゴヤシ, 紫馬肥
Kannada: ಆಲ್ಫಾಲ್ಫ
Kazakh: Ақсары жоңышқа
Korean: 알팔파, 자주개자리
lah: لوسن
Latin: Medica
Latvian: Sējas lucerna
Macedonian: Луцерка
Norwegian Bokmål: Alfalfa, Blålusern, Lusern
Pashto: رشقه
Persian: اسپست, یونجه
Polish: Alfalfa, Lucerna siewna
Portuguese: Alfafa, Luzerna
Romanian: Lucernă
Russian: Люцерна посевная
Serbian: Луцерка
Slovak: Lucerna siata
Slovenian: Lucerna, Alfalfa, Nemška detelja, Prava meteljka
Spanish: Alfalfa, Afalfe, Afarfa, Alfal, Alfalce, Alfalce bordo, Alfalfa brava, Alfalfa mansa
Swedish: Alfalfa, Alfalfafrö, Blålusern, Blåluzern, Gullusern, Lusern
Tamil: குதிரை மசால்
Telugu: అల్ఫాల్ఫా
Thai: ถั่วอัลฟัลฟา
Turkish: Alfalfa, Kaba yonca, Yonca, Yoncagl, Şark yoncası
tyv: Дүжер-меде тарымал
Ukrainian: Люцерна посівна
Urdu: لوسن، الفصفصة، فصفصة نبات، فصة
Vietnamese: Cỏ linh lăng
Walloon: Advalfa, Luzere

Synonyms

Medica sativa Lam.
Medica sativa (L.) Mill.
Medicago praesativa subsp. spontanea Sinskaya
Medicago sativa f. sativa
Medicago sativa subsp. vulgaris (Alef.) Arcang.
Medicago sativa var. vulgaris Alef.
Medicago vera Kirschl.

Flowers

Flower colour: purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: introduced, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced

Photos

Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: TeunSpaans at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: SriMesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: SriMesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: SriMesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Olivier Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Olivier Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Olivier Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Medicago

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.