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Coefficient of Conservatism:
*
Coefficient of Wetness:
5
Wetness Index:
UPL
Physiognomy:
Ad P-Forb
B. S. Walters
Roadsides, fields, and disturbed ground everywhere. A very important and variable crop plant, long cultivated and first collected in Michigan in 1859 in Washtenaw Co. Apparently a human-selected tetraploid hybrid of uncertain origin, widely naturalized.
The corolla of typical alfalfa is blue-purple (white in albinos), and the fruit is coiled at least 1.5–2 times at maturity. A yellow-flowered alfalfa with straight to C-shaped fruits has been called M. falcata L. or treated as a subspecies of M. sativa. It has not been collected in Michigan (although one cannot be certain of yellow-flowered plants lacking fruit). Our relatively frequent yellow-flowered plants are hybrids, which have been called M. ×varia Martyn. Insofar as they have fruit, they are indeed intermediate. The corollas may also be blue-green or variegated.
Locations
Alger County
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Allegan County
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Alpena County
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Antrim County
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Arenac County
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Baraga County
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Barry County
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Benzie County
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Berrien County
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Cass County
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Charlevoix County
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Including Beaver Island
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Cheboygan County
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Chippewa County
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Clare County
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Clinton County
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Crawford County
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Delta County
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Dickinson County
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Eaton County
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Emmet County
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Genesee County
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Gladwin County
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Grand Traverse County
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Hillsdale County
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Houghton County
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Huron County
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Ingham County
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Ionia County
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Isabella County
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Jackson County
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Kalamazoo County
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Kent County
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Keweenaw County
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Lake County
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Lapeer County
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Leelanau County
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Including Fox Islands
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Including Manitou Islands
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Lenawee County
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Livingston County
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Mackinac County
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Including Bois Blanc, Mackinac, Round Islands
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Marquette County
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Mason County
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Mecosta County
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Menominee County
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Monroe County
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Montcalm County
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Montmorency County
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Muskegon County
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Oakland County
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Oceana County
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Otsego County
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Ottawa County
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Presque Isle County
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Roscommon County
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Sanilac County
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Shiawassee County
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St. Clair County
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Tuscola County
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Washtenaw County
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Wayne County
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Citation:
MICHIGAN FLORA ONLINE. A. A. Reznicek, E. G. Voss, & B. S. Walters. February 2011. University of Michigan. Web. January 30, 2023. https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=1332.