By Scout Nelson
Alfalfa is well-known for its role as a nutritious livestock feed, its ability to contribute nitrogen to crops in rotation, and as continuous living cover. It holds both economic and environmental value, benefiting both farmers and the land.
Beyond its practical uses, alfalfa’s lush green foliage and deep purple flowers offer a stunning visual display across the landscape.
A closer inspection of alfalfa reveals intricate details. Its foliage consists of delicate trifoliolate leaflets, while its small flowers cluster together in structures known as racemes. Each flower consists of a banner, two wings, and a fused keel petal. The reproductive parts of the plant are hidden inside the keel petal, only becoming visible when the flower is “tripped” by insects or wind.
While purple is the most common flower colour in modern alfalfa varieties, the plant exhibits a range of colours including blue, yellow, cream, and white. Some flowers even display mixed colours, known as variegation.
The intensity of these colours can vary depending on growing conditions and the age of the flowers. For instance, purple flowers can range from deep to light shades, while yellow flowers can vary from dark orange to light yellow.
The flower colour is determined by genetics and pigments such as anthocyanins in purple flowers, and xanthophyll and carotene in yellow flowers. A non-pigmented white flower is produced by recessive genes. The diversity of flower colours in some alfalfa varieties is a result of interbreeding between the purple-flowered Medicago sativa and the yellow-flowered Medicago falcata.
Photo Credit:gettyimages-0shut0
Categories: Minnesota, Crops, Alfalfa, Livestock