Lucerne is a
non-native
perennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in grassland and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 100cm.
Lucerne (or Alfalfa), originally a South-East Asian plant, was introduced to the UK as a crop to feed livestock and improve soil fertility in the seventeenth century. The name 'Lucerne' means 'bright seeds' and the name 'Alfalfa' means 'fresh fodder'. Lucerne is a bushy plant, growing to about a metre and makes good fodder as it has a high protein content. It has a dull-green appearance owing to downy hairs covering its leaves and stems. The flowers are purple or lilac and arranged into globular clusters on compound flowerheads.
Botanic classification and naming: Lucerne is a member of the Pea (Fabaceae) family. The genus name
'Medicago' identifies the plant as a Medick and its species name 'sativa' means 'cultivated plant'.
Benefits: Lucerne has root nodules that host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These make atmospheric nitrogen available to feed the plant and enrich the soil.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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