Alfalfa / Lucerne
Medicago sativa
Also known as Common Purple Lucerne, Common Lucerne, Purple Alfalfa, Purple Medick
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh & more
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Medicago sativa
- Genus
- Medicago
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Mediterranian
- Distribution
- Mediterranean, West Asia, Temperate regions of the world
- Found in India
- Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Fabaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- अल्फाल्फा Alfalfa, लुसन घास Lusan Ghas, रिज़का Rizka
- Nepali
- लुसर्न घाँस Lusarna Ghaansa, लुर्सन घाँस
- Bengali
- আলফালফা
- Tamil
- குதிரை மசால் Kutirai Macal, குதிரை மசால்
- Telugu
- అల్ఫాల్ఫా Alphalpha, అల్ఫాల్ఫా
- Kannada
- ಆಲ್ಫಾಲ್ಫ Alphalpha, ಕುದುರೆ ಮಸಾಲೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು Kudure Masaale Soppu, ಲುಸರ್ನೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು Lusarne Soppu
- Malayalam
- അൽഫാൽഫ Alphaalpha, ലുസേൺ Lusen, അൽഫാൽഫ
- Marathi
- लसूण घास Lasun Ghas, लुजेन Lujen, विलायती गवत Vilayati Gavat
Alfalfa in India
Lucerne, known as अल्फाल्फा Alfalfa (Hindi), குதிரை மசால் Kutirai Macal (Tamil), అల్ఫాల్ఫా Alphalpha (Telugu), ಆಲ್ಫಾಲ್ಫ Alphalpha (Kannada), അൽഫാൽഫ Alphaalpha (Malayalam), लसूण घास Lasun Ghas (Marathi), is grown as a high-protein fodder crop. Medicago sativa is cultivated across Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Leh, Ladak, Maharashtra, Memka, Surendranagar District, often cut repeatedly through the growing season.
Uses
It's grown almost entirely as fodder and hay for livestock, especially dairy cattle, valued for its high protein content and ability to regrow after repeated cutting; young shoots are occasionally eaten as sprouts.
How to Identify Alfalfa
A perennial herb with trifoliate leaves, each leaflet toothed only near its tip — a useful way to tell it apart from clovers. Small blue-purple pea-like flowers cluster at the stem tips, followed by distinctive tightly spiralled pods.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Lucerne called in different Indian languages?
- अल्फाल्फा Alfalfa (Hindi); குதிரை மசால் Kutirai Macal (Tamil); అల్ఫాల్ఫా Alphalpha (Telugu); ಆಲ್ಫಾಲ್ಫ Alphalpha (Kannada); അൽഫാൽഫ Alphaalpha (Malayalam); लसूण घास Lasun Ghas (Marathi); আলফালফা (Bengali).
- How is alfalfa different from clover?
- Alfalfa's leaflets are toothed only near the tip, and its pods are tightly spiralled, unlike the rounder pods and more evenly toothed leaves of clover.
- Why is it cut so often?
- It regrows quickly from the crown after cutting, letting it be harvested multiple times through a season for fresh fodder or hay.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Alfalfa belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Fabaceae
View all Fabaceae →Sources: GBIF — Medicago sativa (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Medicago sativa (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)