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}]
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]
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]
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]