Description

Alfalfa is a cool season perennial legume living from three to twelve years, depending on variety and climate. It resembles with clover clusters of small purple flowera. The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 ft), and has a deep root system sometimes stretching to 4.5 metres (15 ft). This makes it very resilient, especially to droughts. It has a tetraploid genome. The plant exhibits autotoxity , which means that it is difficult for alfalfa seed to grow in existing stands of alfalfa. Therefore, it is recommended that alfalfa fields be rotated with other species (for example, corn or wheat) before reseeding.