Medicago sativa

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

Medicago sativa
    n 1: important European leguminous forage plant with trifoliate
         leaves and blue-violet flowers grown widely as a pasture
         and hay crop [syn: {alfalfa}, {lucerne}, {Medicago sativa}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Lucern \Lu"cern\, n. [F. luzerne.] (Bot.)
   A leguminous plant ({Medicago sativa}), having bluish purple
   cloverlike flowers, cultivated for fodder; -- called also
   {alfalfa}. [Written also {lucerne}.]
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Medic \Med"ic\, n. [L. medica, Gr. ? (sc. ?) a kind of clover
   introduced from Media, from ? Median.] (Bot.)
   A leguminous plant of the genus {Medicago}. The black medic
   is the {Medicago lupulina}; the purple medic, or lucern, is
   {Medicago sativa}.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Alfalfa \Al*fal"fa\, n. [Sp.] (Bot.)
   The lucern ({Medicago sativa}), a leguminous plant having
   bluish purple cloverlike flowers, and cultivated for fodder;
   -- so called in California, Texas, etc.
   [1913 Webster]

[email protected]