122 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 



VARIEGATED ALFALFA {Medicago falcata L. X sativa L.) 



Other Latin names: Medicago media Pers., M. silvestris Fr. 

 Other English name: Sand Lucerne. 



Botanical description: Yellow Lucerne, as indicated above, 

 is closely related to Alfalfa, and the two species have in fact been 

 regarded by some authors as only one, chiefly because there are 

 intermediates between them which seem to make separation difficult 

 or even impossible. These may all be included under the general 

 name Variegated Alfalfa. There is, however, no doubt that Yellow 

 Lucerne and Alfalfa are two distinct species which can be readily 

 distinguished by the colour of their flowers and the shape of their 

 fruits. Variegated Alfalfa, which might seem to contradict this 

 statement, is not a variety of either Alfalfa or of Yellow Lucerne. 

 It is a cross product of the two species, just as the mule is a cross pro- 

 duct of the horse and the ass. 



On account of its hybrid origin, Variegated Alfalfa is like Alfalfa 

 in some ways and in others is like Yellow Lucerne. It is generally 

 easily distinguished by its flowers. Being a cross between a yellow 

 and a purple species, its flowers are a mixture of yellow and purple. 

 The blend results in a peculiar dirty yellowish green colour, which is 

 characteristic of the great bulk of the primary hybrid, or the product 

 obtained by crossing pure Alfalfa and pure Yellow Lucerne. In a 

 field of Variegated Alfalfa, however, the flowers are found in all colours 

 from yellow to dark greenish purple, depending to some extent on 

 their stage of development; the same flower generally changes its 

 colour with age, so all shades may be represented in one plant. The 

 chief cause of the variation, however, is the manner in which the 

 blossoms are fertilized. Variegated Alfalfa is unlike most other 

 hybrid plants in being fertile; it is able to produce an abundance of 

 seed of good quality. The flowers of any plant of the primary 

 hybrid may be fertilized in many different ways; for instance, by 

 other flowers of the same plant, by flowers of another primary 

 hybrid, or by flowers of pure Alfalfa if it grows in the neighbourhood. 

 In any of these cases, the result will be a blending or re-combination 

 of the original colours. 



Habitat: Variegated Alfalfa occurs naturally where ordinary 

 Alfalfa and Yellow Lucerne grow together. 



