Fabaceae
Medicago sativa

Alfalfa

Erect, hairless or with very fine hairs. Leaves with 1/2 in. long narrow lance-shaped leaflets. Flower spike with 8–25 purple, violet-green, or yellow flowers. Seedpods coiled 2–3 times, without prickles. Grows in disturbed soils, along roads mostly in agricultural areas, below 5000 ft. A common hay crop throughout our region. Subsp. falcata has yellow flowers, pods that do not twist.

  • Rarity: Common
  • Flowering Time: All Spring And Summer
  • Life Cycle: Annual, Perennial
  • Height: 8--35 inches
  • Habitat: Meadow, Disturbed
  • Found In: Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, Steens, N Cascades Np
  • Native: No

More Information: