What is the local name for alfalfa?

alfalfa, (Medicago sativa), also called lucerne or purple medic, perennial, cloverlike, leguminous plant of the pea family (Fabaceae), widely grown primarily for hay, pasturage, and silage.

How do you identify alfalfa plant?

Yellow to greenish-yellow, browning with age. Alfalfa seeds are darker than Yellow sweetclover. Important Identifying Characteristics: Purple flowers, long narrow leaf with serrated tip.

How many kinds of alfalfa are there?

Alfalfa is a perennial, clover-like legume, Medicago sativa, characterized by a deep taproot, compound leaves typically with three leaflets, and small flowers that often are blue-violet, but may be a variety of colors, including yellow and white….Alfalfa.

What is alfalfa called in Nigeria?

Medicago sativa also known as Lucerne but commonly called Alfalfa plant is a perennial flowering plant.

Which leaf is alfalfa?

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial herbaceous legume. Due to its high nutritional quality, high yields and high adaptability, alfalfa is one of the most important legume forages of the world.

What Colour is alfalfa?

In diploid alfalfa the yellow pigments have been identified as being primarily xanthophyll with a small amount of B carotene present. Diploid genetic data suggest that yellow flower color is controlled by at least three and probably four genes with accu- mulative effects.

Can humans eat alfalfa?

Although alfalfa is frequently used to feed horses and rabbits, it’s good for people, too. Besides consuming it as a supplement, humans eat alfalfa in the form of sprouted seeds, found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Just 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts provides the following nutrients: Calories: 7.6.

How does alfalfa leaf look like?

The leaves of the plant are made up of three individual leaflets (trifoliate) which are are narrow and oval or oblong in shape with a smooth upper surface and slightly hairy lower surface. Alfalfa plants produce flowers on racemes (flower stalks) and each raceme possesses 10–35 densely packed purple flowers.

What is alfalfa leaf?

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an herb that some people consume as a source of calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. Alfalfa is most commonly grown as food for livestock animals. In humans, it’s often eaten as a garnish, and seems to prevent cholesterol absorption in the stomach.

Does alfalfa grow in Nigeria?

With millions of livestock in Nigeria, there is a huge market for alfalfa.

Is alfalfa a tree?

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial legume widely cultivated to provide high-quality forage in the form of hay, silage, and to a lesser extent as a grazing crop, as well as for improving soil fertility.

Where can you find alfalfa?

Alfalfa is often grown by farmers for pasturage and forage. However, it also has escaped into the wild in both rural and urban areas, where it can be found meadows, near rivers and woodlands, areas along roadsides and railroads, abandoned fields, vacant lots, and miscellaneous waste areas.