Alfalfa

Etymology:
– The word “alfalfa” is a Spanish modification of the Arabic word “al-faṣfaṣa.”

History:
– Alfalfa seems to have originated in south-central Asia and was first cultivated in Central Asia.
– According to Pliny (died 79 AD), it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the Persians invaded Greek territory.
– Alfalfa cultivation is discussed in the fourth-century AD book “Opus Agriculturae” by Palladius.
– The medieval Arabic agricultural writer Ibn al-Awwam discussed how to cultivate alfalfa in the 12th century.
– In the 16th century, Spanish colonizers introduced alfalfa to the Americas as fodder for their horses.

Uses:
– Alfalfa is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world.
– It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop.
– The plant is cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
– Alfalfa is native to warmer temperate climates.
– It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiralled in two to three turns containing 10–20 seeds.

Cultivation:
– One sow-down of alfalfa lasts ten years.
– The crop may be cut four or six times a year.
– A jugerum of alfalfa is abundantly sufficient for three horses all year.
– It may be given to cattle, but new provender is at first to be administered very sparingly.
– Lucerne (or luzerne) is the name for alfalfa in Britain, Australia, France, Germany, and other countries.

Introduction to the Americas:
– Spanish colonizers introduced alfalfa to the Americas as fodder for their horses in the 16th century.
– Alfalfa seeds were imported to California from Chile in the 1850s.
– This marked the beginning of a rapid and extensive introduction of the crop over the western United States.
– Since North and South America now produce a large part of the world’s output, the word “alfalfa” has been slowly introduced to the English language.
– Relatively little alfalfa is grown in the southeastern United States today.