Alfalfa

Medicago sativa

Not native to South Carolina

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Smooth Wild-petunia
Ruellia strepens
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Philadelphia Fleabane
Erigeron philadelphicus
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous
Virginia Spiderwort
Tradescantia virginiana
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

More natives for your garden

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Medicago sativa — whole plant photograph — (c) Duarte Frade, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph · iNaturalist medium image; no additional crop, retouching, or re-encoding.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

56CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Medicago

Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Apantesis figurataFigured Tiger Moth

Show all 56

Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Caenurgina crassiusculaForage Looper Moth, Clover Looper, Range Grass Moth
Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Macrochilo litophoraAngulate Fan-Foot, Brown-Lined Owlet
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Zerene cesoniaSouthern Dogface
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Medicago

Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
Branta canadensisCanada Goose
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Flower color: Purple
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Single crown
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Purple” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “About 2 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
primary_flower_color · “purple” · USDA PLANTS

Also known as

Alfalfa; Sickle Medic

Conservation status

South Carolina rank	Not available
Global rank	GNR
SC status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source