Alfalfa vs Black Medic

Medicago sativa compared with Medicago lupulina

Key Differences

• Alfalfa is Least Concern while Black Medic is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfalfa	Black Medic
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family same	Fabaceae	Fabaceae
Genus same	Medicago	Medicago
Species	Medicago sativa	Medicago lupulina

Evolutionary Relationship

Alfalfa and Black Medic share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Medicago.

Conservation Status

Alfalfa

LC — Least Concern

Black Medic

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfalfa	Black Medic
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfalfa

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Angola, Chad, South Africa), Asia (11 countries), Europe (26 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Papua New Guinea), and South America (6 countries).

Black Medic

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Tonga), and South America (7 countries).

Alfalfa

The Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a species in the genus Medicago. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also.

Black Medic

The Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) is a species in the genus Medicago. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Its geographic range spans Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Tonga), and South America (7 countries).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 24 countries:

🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇰🇵 North Korea 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇰 Pakistan 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇺🇸 United States