Alfalfa is a palatable and productive herbaceous perennial legume with worldwide distribution. It is grown in every state of the US. Hundreds of cultivars have been developed.
Species list
Trifolium hybridum L.
Herbaceous, short-lived perennial forage legume with fine-stemmed, semi-erect, indeterminate growth habit. It has no stolons or rhizomes.
Trifolium vesiculosum Savi
Herbaceous, highly productive, cool-season winter annual clover suitable for hay, grazing, seed production, soil improvement, and wildlife forage.
Trifolium michelianum L.
Winter-active annual clover, originated from Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Alternative to white and subterranean clovers in poor soil drainage and drought conditions.
x Elyhordeum Barley Mansf. ex Zizin & Petrowa
Barley is an annual cereal, a cool-season grass species used for both grain and forage including pasture, hay, silage, and after-grain-harvest straw.
Trifolium alexandrinum L.
High-quality, fast-growing summer or winter annual legume from the Mediterranean. Mostly grown in subtropical irrigated farming systems.
Lotus corniculatus L.
Herbaceous, short-lived perennial legume adapted to humid, temperate regions. Used in permanent pastures or as a hay crop, alone or sown in combination with grasses.
Chicorium intybus L.
Herbaceous, biennial or short-lived perennial forb used as a pasture forage, alone or in combination with cool-season grasses and legumes. Widely adapted throughout the USA.
Astragalus cicer L.
Herbaceous, perennial legume with an upright growth habit, spreading by rhizomes. Well adapted to the intermountain west, northern Great Plains, and northwestern part of the corn belt.
Vicia sativa L.
Herbaceous, annual legume with viny growth habit. Commonly used for forage in combination with cereal grains for hay or silage in areas with mild winters. Less winter hardy than hairy vetch.
Zea mays L.
An erect, fast growing, warm-season annual commonly growing to 6.5 to > 9 feet (2-3m). As a forage crop, corn can be green-shopped, made into silage or directly grazed by animals.
Trifolium incarnatum L.
Herbaceous winter annual legume with an erect growth habit. Can be used as a summer annual in northern areas (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 and 4).
Securigera Varia L. Lassen
Long-lived herbaceous, perennial, rhizomatous legume with an upright growth habit initially, later forming a mat. Adapted throughout the humid, temperate region of the USA.
Trifolium glanduliferum Boiss.
Gland clover is an erect to semi-erect, extensively branched, very early maturing, self-regenerating annual legume species native to Turkey and Asia.
Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.
Long-lived, rhizomatous perennial legume also called Caucasian clover. Prostrate to erect stems, 1.5 feet (46 cm) in length, branching from the crown.
Plantago lanceolata L.
Plantain is the general name for several small herbs used for their medicinal properties and more recently for forage.
Avena sativa L.
Oat is a small grain, annual, cool-season grass species used for both grain and forage. It is the least winter hardy species of the small grains.
Lolium perenne L.
Perennial, cool-season bunchgrass native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa.
Trifolium resupinatum L.
Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.) is an annual, herbaceous legume with prostrate or semi-erect growth habit to 4 feet (1.2 m).
Trifolium pratense L.
Herbaceous, short-lived perennial legume widely used in temperate regions for forage, soil improvement, and as pollen and nectar source for bumblebees.
Trifolium hirtum All.
Rose clover is a herbaceous, self-regenerating winter annual legume that originated in the Mediterranean region.
Secale cereale L.
Rye has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. It was the predominant world grain for making bread until the 19th century when it was replaced with wheat.
Trifolium fragiferum L.
Herbaceous low-growing perennial with deep taproot and creeping stolons that root at nodes. Growth habit similar to white clover.
Trifolium subterraneum L.
Herbaceous, prostrate growing, reseeding, winter annual legume valued as forage in temperate summer moisture deficit areas.
Melilotus albus Medik
White and yellow-flowered sweetclover are related species that are biennial legumes well-suited to humid and sub-humid temperate climates. Naturalized in the eastern Great Plains.
Schedonorus arundinaceus
Perennial, cool-season bunchgrass grown for pasture, hay, and silage.
Eragrostis teff (Zuccagni) Trotter
Teff is a warm-season annual grass that is increasing rapidly in popularity among hay growers in the United States. Teff (Eragrostis
x Tritocosecale Wittm. ex. A. Camus
Triticale is an interspecific hybrid between wheat and rye. It is used primarily for winter pasture but can be used as silage or hay.
Trifolium repens L.
Herbaceous, perennial forage legume with prostrate growth habit and stolons that root at nodes. Used in humid regions and irrigated grass-legume pastures worldwide.