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Legume
Legume Seed | Alfalfa | Alsike Clover | Birdsfoot Trefoil | Crownvetch | Hairyvetch |
Ladino Clover | Korean Lespedeza | Red Clover | Sweetclover | White Dutch Clove
Grass
Grass Seed | Orchardgrass | Tall Fescue | Perennial Ryegrass | K. Bluegrass | Timothy | Reed Canarygrass
Smooth Bromegrass | Big Bluestem | Switchgrass | Indiangrass | Sorghum X Sudan | Sudangrass
AlfalfaMedicago sativa L.
 |
 |
Longevity:
|
Perennial |
Palatability:
|
Very High |
Winter
Hardiness:
|
Good |
Drought
Tolerance:
|
Good |
Cool
or Warm Season:
|
Cool |
Bloat
Hazard:
|
Yes |
Use
and Comments:
|
Hay, silage, pasture, green manure crop. |
Distribution
in U.S.:
|
Northern half; increasing acreage in the Southeast |
Height:
|
15-36 inches |
| Raceme consists of 5 to 20 florets commonly purple but some may be blue, yellow, and cream. | |
Leaves:
|
Pinnately
trifoliolate (three leaflets per leaf);
serrations on tip of leaflets; stipules have teeth, lobes and sharp pointed tips. Some varieties have a multifoliate charactersitic as seen in the following image. |
Roots:
|
Long, deep taproot. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Soil |
Drainage:
|
Well Drained |
Fertility: |
High | |
pH:
|
6.6-7.2 | |
Seed |
Color:
|
Yellow to greenish-yellow, browning with age. |
Shape:
|
Kidney | |
Pounds
Per Bushel:
|
60 | |
Seeds
Per Pound:
|
200,000 | |
Seeding
Rate:
|
12-15 pounds PLS per acre | |
Seeding
Date (Indiana):
|
Mar 1 to May 1 or Aug 1 to Sept 1 | |
Emergence
Time (Days):
|
7 | |
Optimum
Germ. Temp. (F):
|
70 |
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For more forage information contact Dr. Keith Johnson: johnsonk@purdue.edu
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