Medicago

Illustration of two Medicago species: below - hop alfalfa (Medicago lupulina ) and above Arabian alfalfa (Medicago arabica)

Alfalfa (Medicago ) is a plant genus in the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). This genus includes about 87 species and has its diversity center in the Mediterranean.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The most Medicago species are annual to perennial herbaceous plants, only a few are shrubs such as the shrub - alfalfa (Medicago arborea ). They rarely reach stature heights above 100 centimeters. The alternate and spirally arranged, petiolate leaves are ternate pinnate with terminal leaflet stalked longer and shorter stalked lateral leaflets. The edges of the leaflets are finely toothed. The two stipules are fused to the petiole, but with each other freely.

Generative features

The flowers are individually rare, usually to many in axillary clusters with or without bracts on long Blütenstandsschäften. The short- stalked, small, zygomorphic flowers are fünfzählig.

The five sepals are fused campanulate; the calyx teeth are much shorter than the calyx tube. Of the five yellow or purple to blue, nailed two petals are fused to the boat. The boat is shorter than the wings. The wings are not attached to the boat. Nine of the ten stamens are fused. It's just a constant upper carpel with 4-25 ovules available.

The legumes are generally helically rolled (hence the German name!) And can, depending on the type, to varying degrees, be thorns in various ways. However, some species have only sickle- shaped bent legumes. The fruit contains 3-15 seeds. The relatively small seeds are kidney-shaped and smooth or rough.

Ecology

It is pollination by insects ( entomophily ) required or in some species it comes to self-pollination. As diaspore acts depending on the nature of the fruit or seed. Because the fruits of some species attach to the fur of animals, they are called " velcro sleeves ".

Like other legumes ( Leguminosae ) have the Medicago species, the ability with the help of symbiotic root nodule bacteria (many species of the tribe Trifolieae is the type Sinorhizobium meliloti ( Dangeard 1926) De Lajudie et al. ) Take nitrogen from the air and fix.

System

The first publication of the genus name Medicago was made by Carl Linnaeus. Type species is Medicago sativa L. Synonyms for Medicago L. are: . Crimaea Vassilcz, Kamiella Vassilcz, lupulina Noulet, Medica Mill, pseudo Melis Situs Ovcz. .. et al., Radiata Medik., Rhodusia Vassilcz. , Turukhania Vassilcz .. The Medicago genus belongs to the tribe Trifolieae in the subfamily Faboideae within the Fabaceae family.

The genus alfalfa (Medicago ) is divided into 14 sections, some of which are divided into several sub- sections, and contains by Small ( 2011) 87 species:

  • Section buceras ( Ser. ) E.Small: formerly belonged to the genus Trigonella Many of the species classified here: four subsections. Under section Deflexae ( Širj. ) E.Small: the only kind: Medicago retrorsa ( Boiss. ) E.Small
  • Medicago arenicola ( Hub. -Mor. ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago astroites ( Fisch. & CAMey. ) Trautv. It occurs in Western Asia.
  • Medicago carica ( Hub. -Mor. ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor and the Aegean.
  • Medicago crassipes ( Boiss. ) E.Small: It occurs in the Middle East.
  • Fischer alfalfa (Medicago fischeriana ( Ser. ) Trautv. ); occurs in the Crimea and in Asia Minor.
  • Medicago halophila ( Boiss. ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago heldreichii E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago medicaginoides ( Retz. ) E.Small: It occurs in the Balkans, the Crimea and Asia Minor.
  • Einblütiger alfalfa (Medicago monantha ( CAMey. ) Trautv. ): It occurs in the Middle East.
  • Medicago monspeliaca (L.) Trautv. It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago orthoceras ( Kar & Kir. ) Trautv. The homeland is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago pamphylica ( Hub. -Mor & Sirj. . ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago persica ( Boiss. ) E.Small
  • Medicago phrygia ( Boiss. & Balansa ) E.Small: It occurs in Asia Minor and the Aegean.
  • Vielhörniger alfalfa (Medicago polyceratia (L.) Trautv. ): It is distributed in southwest Europe and northwest Africa.
  • Medicago rigida ( Boiss. & Balansa ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago isthmocarpa ( Boiss. & Balansa ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago rhytidocarpa ( Boiss. & Balansa ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Karst alfalfa (Medicago carstiensis Jacq. ): It is found in Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria before.
  • Section Dendrotelis ( Vassilcz. ) Let: three ways: Shrub - alfalfa (Medicago arborea L.): It is distributed in the Mediterranean area.
  • Medicago citrina (Font cross ) Greuter: It occurs in Spain and the Balearic Islands.
  • Medicago strasseri Greuter, Matthaes & Cracks: It occurs only in Crete.
  • Section Geocarpa E.Small ( Syn: Factorovskya Eig ): the only kind: Medicago hypogaea E.Small: It occurs in Asia Minor, Egypt and Libya.
  • Section Heynianae Greuter: the only kind: Medicago heyniana Greuter: It occurs on the south-western Turkey Marmaris Peninsula and on the Greek Aegean islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, Tilos and Amorgos.
  • Section Hymenocarpos Ser. in DC. , with the only type: Moon alfalfa (Medicago radiata L.): It occurs in the Middle East.
  • Section Lanigerae Winkl. & B.Fedtsch. Using the single species: Medicago lanigera Winkl. & B.Fedtsch.
  • Section Lunatae ( Boiss. ) E.Small: five ways: Medicago biflora ( Griseb. ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago brachycarpa fish. ex M.Bieb. It occurs in Western Asia.
  • Medicago edgeworthii Sirj. ( Syn: Medicago pubescens ( Edgew. ex Baker ) Sirj. )
  • Medicago huberi E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago rostrata ( Boiss. & Balansa ) E.Small: The home is Asia Minor.
  • Under section Medicago: with eleven species: Medicago cancellata M.Bieb.
  • Medicago cretacea M.Bieb.
  • Medicago daghestanica Rupr. ex Boiss.
  • Beach - alfalfa (Medicago marina L.): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago papillosa Boiss. , The homeland is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago pironae Vis. It occurs in Italy and the former Yugoslavia.
  • Low- Lying medics or Procumbent alfalfa (Medicago prostrata Jacq. ): It occurs in Italy and the Balkan Peninsula.
  • Medicago rhodopea Velen. It occurs only in Bulgaria.
  • Medicago rupestris M.Bieb. It occurs only in the Crimea.
  • Ordinary alfalfa or True alfalfa, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) ( Often regarded as Artkomplex or with several subspecies. Example, sickle - medics, Yellow alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. Falcata L.), horse - medics, bastard - alfalfa (Medicago sativa nothosubsp. varia ( Martyn ) Arcang. ) )
  • Medicago saxatilis M.Bieb. It occurs only in the Crimea.
  • Under section Suffruticosae ( Vassilcz. ) E.Small: with two types: Pourrets alfalfa (Medicago hybrida ( Pourr. ) Trautv. ): It comes just before France.
  • Medicago suffruticosa Ramond ex DC. It occurs in Spain, France and Morocco.
  • Section Orbiculares Urb. , With the only type: Disc medics or plate -shaped alfalfa (Medicago orbicularis (L.) Bartal, Syn. Medicago cuneata Woods, Medicago marginata Willd. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Oval section E.Small: the only kind: Medicago ovalis ( Boiss. ) Urb.
  • Section Pectinatae Boiss. , With the only type: Medicago plicata ( Boiss. ) Sirj.
  • Section Platycarpae E.Small: eight ways: Medicago archiducis - nicolai Sirj. Thrives on alpine slopes, in valleys and grasslands at altitudes of 2500 to mostly rare between 3000 and 4000 meters in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and in the northeastern Xizang.
  • Medicago platycarpos (L.) Trautv.
  • Medicago popovii ( Korovin ) Sirj.
  • Medicago ruthenica (L.) Trautv.
  • Section Spiro Carpos Ser. Having five sub- sections:
  • Under section Intertextae ( Urb. ) Heyn, with four ways: Fringed alfalfa (Medicago ciliaris (L. ) All. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago granadensis Willd. ( Syn: Medicago Galilee Boiss. ): It occurs in Asia Minor and Egypt.
  • Hedgehog alfalfa (Medicago intertexta ( L.) Mill, Syn: Medicago echinus DC. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago muricoleptis Tineo ( Syn: Medicago decandollei Tineo ex cast. ): It occurs in Italy, Sicily and Greece.
  • Under section Lupularia ( Ser. in DC) E.Small: with two types: Hops or hop clover, alfalfa (Medicago lupulina L.)
  • Medicago secundiflora Durieu: It occurs in southwest Europe and northwest Africa.
  • Under section Pachyspireae ( Urb. ) Heyn: with 13 species: Medicago constricta Durieu ( Syn: Medicago globosa C.Presl ): It occurs in the Near East and eastern Mediterranean.
  • Medicago doliata Carmign. ( Syn: .. .. Medicago aculeata Willd, Medicago globulosa Desv, Medicago muricata Benth, Medicago oliviformis cast, Medicago turbinata auct. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago italica (Mill.) Fiori ( Syn: Medica italica Mill, Medicago corrugata Durieu, Medicago helix Willd, Medicago obscura Retz, Medicago striata T.Bastard, Medicago tornata ( L.) Mill. . ): It comes in the Mediterranean area before.
  • Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel. It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Sting - medics or Kurzstacheliger alfalfa (Medicago murex Willd, Syn. Medicago lesinsiii E.Small ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Stiff medics or velvet - medics (Medicago rigidula (L.) All, Syn: .. .. .. . Medicago agrestis Ten, Medicago cinerascens Jord, Medicago gerardii Waldst & Kit ex Willd, Medicago morisiana Jord, Medicago muricata (L. ) All). It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago rigiduloides E.Small
  • Medicago sinskiae Uljanova, is a little known species from the Kopet Dagh in Iran and Turkmenistan.
  • Medicago soleirolii Duby: It occurs in Tunisia and Algeria and adventiv in the northern Mediterranean.
  • Medicago Sphaerocarpos Bertol. ( Syn: Medicago murex auct non Willd.. ), Occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago syriaca E.Small
  • Medicago turbinata (L. ) All. ( Syn: Medicago tuberculata ( Retz. ) Willd. )
  • Under section Rotatae ( Urb. ) Heyn: with six types: Medicago bonarotiana Arcang. The home is the eastern Mediterranean. Medicago blancheana Boiss. is the hybrid Medicago bonarotiana × M. rotata.
  • Medicago noeana Boiss. , The homeland is Asia Minor.
  • Medicago rotata Boiss.; occurs in the Middle East.
  • Rib alfalfa (Medicago rugosa Desr, Syn. Medicago elegans Jacq ex Willd.. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Shield alfalfa (Medicago scutellata ( L.) Mill ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago shepardii Post ex Boiss. , The homeland is Asia Minor.
  • Under section Spiro Carpos ( Syn: Medicago subsect Leptospireae ( Urb. ) Heyn. ): Ten ways: Arabic spotted alfalfa or alfalfa (Medicago arabica (L.) Hudson, Syn: Medicago cordata Desr, Medicago maculata Sibth. . ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago coronata (L.) Bartal. It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Discus alfalfa (Medicago disciformis DC. ): It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Lobed alfalfa (Medicago laciniata ( L.) Mill, Syn: Medicago aschersoniana Urb. ): It occurs in the eastern Mediterranean.
  • Medicago laxispira Heyn
  • Dwarf alfalfa ( Medicago minima (L.) Bartal, Syn. Medicago meyeri Gruner, Medicago sessilis Peyron ex post): It occurs in Central Europe and the Mediterranean region.
  • Rough alfalfa (Medicago polymorpha L., Syn: Medicago apiculata Willd, Medicago denticulata Willd, Medicago hispida Gaertn, Medicago nigra (L.) Krock, Medicago reticulata Benth, Medicago sardoa Moris, Medicago lappacea Desr, Medicago. .. .. . terebellum Willd ). It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago praecox DC. It occurs in the Mediterranean region.
  • Medicago sauvagei Nègre: It occurs only in Morocco.
  • Medicago tenoreana Ser. It occurs in the Mediterranean region.

Swell

  • Leslie Watson: Medicago. In: Western Australian Herbarium (ed.): Flora Base. The Western Australian Flora. Department of Environment and Conservation 2008, online. ( Description section )
  • Syed Ali Irtifaq: Flora of West Pakistan 100: Papilionaceae. Stewart Herbarium, Rawalpindi in 1977, Medicago, p 301 (English ).
  • Zhi Wei, Michael A. Vincent: Medicago. In: Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (eds.): Flora of China. Volume 10: Fabaceae, Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2010, ISBN 978-1-930723-91-7, pp. 553, PDF file ( Section Description and systematics).
  • Enter taxon in the search at International Legume Database & Information Service = ILDIS.
Rosids Perennial plant Medicago truncatula Agricultural Research Service Digital Object Identifier
481330
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