| Source: | 
							
								ILDIS World Database of Legumes  2010. (copyright © ILDIS).
 
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                            | Name: | 
                            
				Medicago sativa L.
				
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                            | Nomencl. ref.: | 
                            Sp. Pl.: 778. 1753 | 
                           
						  
                          
                            | Rank: | 
                            Species | 
                           
                          
                            | Status: | 
                            
				
					
                              	
                              	
					ACCEPTED
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		| Taxonomy (this taxon is included in): | 
		Regnum - Plantae 
				    
				Divisio - Tracheophyta 
				    
				    
				Subdivisio - Spermatophytina 
				    
				    
				    
				Class - Magnoliopsida 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				Superordo - Rosanae 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				Ordo - Fabales Bromhead 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				Familia - Fabaceae Lindl. 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				Tribus - Trifolieae 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				Genus - Medicago L. 
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				
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				| Geo-Search: | 
				
					
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                              		Synonyms:
                              		
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                            	Medicago afganica (Bordere) Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago grandiflora (Grossh.) Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago ladak Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago mesopotamica Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago orientalis Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago polia (Brand) Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago praesativa Sinskaya | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Medicago sogdiana (Brand) Vassilcz. | 
							
                           
                          
                          
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                            	Trigonella upendrae H. J. Chowdhery & R. R. Rao | 
							
                           
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						Included taxa:
                              		 | 
                            	
					Medicago sativa L. subsp. sativa
					
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					Medicago sativa nothosubsp. varia (Martyn) Arcang.
					
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					Medicago sativa subsp. microcarpa Urb.
					
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		| Comments: | 
		
				(1946) at specific rank. It is introduced, alien and naturalised in almost, all regions of N.Eurasia., An aggregate species containing many cultivars described by I.Vassilczenko, Four subspecies: see ssp. ambigua; ssp. microcarpa; ssp. sativa & ssp. varia., Highly productive, energy-efficient plant although not easy to grow well., in almost all Provinces of N. Eurasia, M. sativa is an aggregate species containing many cultivars described by I., Vassilczenko (1946) at specific rank. It is introduced, alien and naturalised, Widely cultivated as a temperate forage crop tolerating drought and salinity. | 
			
	 
	
		| Common names: | 
		
				afalfe (Spanish, Castillian), afarfa (Spanish, Castillian), alfal (Aragonese), alfal (Catalan), alfal (Spanish, Castillian), alfal (Valencian), alfalç (Catalan), alfalç (Majorcan), alfalce (Aragonese), alfalce (Spanish, Castillian), alfalce bordo (Spanish, Castillian), alfalces (Aragonese), alfalfa (Aragonese), alfalfa (Asturian), Alfalfa (French), alfalfa (Galician), alfalfa (Portuguese), alfalfa (Spanish, Castillian), alfalfa brava (Spanish, Castillian), alfalfa mansa (Spanish, Castillian), Alfalfa Rustica (Spanish, Castillian), alfalfa silvestre (Spanish, Castillian), alfalfe (Aragonese), alfalfe (Spanish, Castillian), alfalfe (Valencian), alfals (Catalan), alfals (Majorcan), alfals (Valencian), alfalz (Aragonese), alfalz (High Aragonese), alfalz (Spanish, Castillian), alfalze (Aragonese), alfalze (High Aragonese), alfance (Aragonese), alfance (Spanish, Castillian), alfange (Spanish, Castillian), alfanse (Aragonese), alfanze (High Aragonese), alfarfa (Spanish, Castillian), alfás (Aragonese), alfàs (Catalan), alfás (Spanish, Castillian), alfàs (Valencian), alfauce (Aragonese), alfauce (Spanish, Castillian), alfauze (High Aragonese), alfaz (Spanish, Castillian), alforfa (Galician), alforfa (Portuguese), alforta (Galician), alholva (Spanish, Castillian), almierca (Aragonese), almierca (High Aragonese), almierca (Spanish, Castillian), alpapa (Euskera), amelca (Aragonese), amelca (Spanish, Castillian), amielca (High Aragonese), amielcas (Aragonese), amielcas (Spanish, Castillian), anfals (Valencian), anfaus (Catalan), anfaus (Majorcan), arfarfa (Spanish, Castillian), argi-belar (Euskera), argibelarr (Euskera), argi-belarra (Euskera), arguibelarra (Euskera), arquibelarra (Euskera), Arvuit Tzanovi (Armenian), aufals (Catalan), aufals (Majorcan), aufals (Valencian), aufaus (Catalan), aufaus (Majorcan), betaraki (Euskera), betarakia (Euskera), betarokia (Euskera), Blalusern (Swedish), Blaue Luzerne (German), carretón (Spanish, Castillian), carretón borde (Spanish, Castillian), Chveulebrivi Iondzha (Georgian), cruximelga (Catalan), Ekin Garayoncha (Azerbaijan), Erba Medica (Italian), ervaye (Spanish, Castillian), falfa (Spanish, Castillian), fals (Valencian), farfa (Spanish, Castillian), feno-de-borgonha (Portuguese), Harilik Lutsern (Estonian), herba (Valencian), herba alfals (Catalan), herba alfals (Valencian), herba d’alfals (Valencian), herba fals (Catalan), herba fals (Valencian), huserda (Catalan), idarrbeltz (Euskera), illarbelcha (Euskera), Lucerna (Roumanian), Lucerna Siewna (Polish), Lucerne (French), Lucherne Albastre (Roumanian), luzerna (Euskera), luzerna (Galician), luzerna (Portuguese), luzerna-de-sequeiro (Portuguese), Luzerne (German), Luzerne Cultivee (French), Lyutzerna Pasyaounaya (Belarusian), Lyutzerna Posevnaya (Russian), Lyutzerna Posivna (Ukraine), Lyutzerna Sinyaya (Russian), medicagem dos pastos (Portuguese), melca (Catalan), melga (Catalan), melga (Galician), melga (Portuguese), melga (Spanish, Castillian), melga (Valencian), melga dos prados (Portuguese), melga-dos-prados (Portuguese), melgó (Catalan), mèliga (Catalan), Melynziede Liucerna (Lithuanian), merga (Spanish, Castillian), miajera (Spanish, Castillian), mielca (Aragonese), mielca (High Aragonese), mielca (Spanish, Castillian), mielcas (Aragonese), mielcón (Aragonese), mielcón (High Aragonese), mielcón (Spanish, Castillian), mielga (Aragonese), mielga (High Aragonese), mielga (Spanish, Castillian), mielgas (Spanish, Castillian), mierga (Spanish, Castillian), miergas (Spanish, Castillian), mierpes (Spanish, Castillian), Myadunka (Belarusian), nielga (Spanish, Castillian), parantze-bedarr (Euskera), parantze-belarr (Euskera), parrastu (Euskera), porrastu (Euskera), prantzes bedarr (Euskera), prantzes belarr (Euskera), prantzes-belarra (Euskera), probayernos (Spanish, Castillian), raseló (Catalan), Saatluzerne (German), Sejas Lucerna (Latvian), Sinimailanen (Finnish), trebo caracol (Galician), trebo caracol (Portuguese), trébol de España (Spanish, Castillian), trebolillo (Spanish, Castillian), trevo caracol (Galician), trevo caracol (Portuguese), ufals (Catalan), usarda (Catalan), userda (Catalan), userdas (Catalan), zarza (Spanish, Castillian)[Credits] | 
			
	 
	
		| Conservation Status: | 
		
				Not Threatened | 
			
	 
	
		| Maps: | 
		
				distribution | 
			
	 
	
		| Occurrence: | 
		
       			  Ab(A N) dAE(G) Ar Au(L) Be(B L) Br dBu dCy dGa(F) Gg(A D G) He Hs(S) It dLu Rf(C CS E S) Sy Tu(A) [Ab(A N) AE(G) Ag Al Ar Au(A L) Be(B L) Bl Br Bu By Ca Co Cr Cz Da Eg Es Fe Ga(F) Ge Gg(A D G) Gr Hb(E) He Ho Hs(S) Hu Ir It Jo Ju La Le Lt Lu Ma Mo No Po Rf(C CS E K N NW S) Rm Sa Si(S) Sn Su Sy Tn Tu(E) Uk(K U)] | 
		
	 
	
		| Use: | 
		
				Chemical products, Environmental, Food and Drink, Forage, Medicine, Weed | 
			
	 
                        
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