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In the summer, all kinds of flowers bloom more brilliantly, as long as we pay attention, it is not difficult to find that the flowers and plants in the green belt have a new atmosphere every day. There is a slender wildflower, purple flowers gathered on the branches, always swaying with the wind, smart and beautiful, very pleasing. This wildflower is called alfalfa, it is not an ordinary wild grass, but a king of pastures that feeds countless cattle and sheep and is respected by herders. Hello everyone, here is quiet to see the blossoms, I am quiet.
Alfalfa is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Alfalfa that is highly adaptable and can grow in a variety of climatic conditions, from cold to subtropical. This is because the roots of alfalfa are very vibrant, can be deeply rooted in the soil, generally 2-3 meters, in areas where rain is scarce and irrigation is insufficient, the main root can reach down to 15 meters to draw groundwater. This means that once it takes root, it can tolerate extremely dry environments.
Nutrients drawn from deeper in the soil not only feed themselves, but also supply plants with shallower roots next to them.
In addition, alfalfa is also a photosynthetic autophyte. Like many other legumes, it also contains bacteria that symbiotic with the soil, rhizobia, where the fixed nitrogen in the nodules enters the soil, thereby increasing the soil's nitrogen fertility capacity.
Therefore, alfalfa is a good companion plant for many plants, although it is a forage, it is often found in the green space of the city.
Alfalfa germinates in the spring, the plant is 30-100 cm tall, has many branches on the slender stem, and has three long oval leaves on each petiole, which is a typical compound leaf structure. In the plant kingdom, the leaf forms are diverse, and if divided in terms of complexity, they can be divided into single leaf and compound leaf. For example, the leaves of the clover we are familiar with are also compound leaf structures, which belong to the legume family like alfalfa.
After being cut and nibbled, alfalfa has the ability to regenerate new stems and leaves quickly, and the leaf buds are rich in nutrients, especially before the flowering period, and the fresh stems and leaves are the best delicacies for cattle and sheep.
In early summer, alfalfa enters the flowering stage, the slender peduncle stretches out from between the petiole and the stem, and the flower spikes are concentrated on the head, consisting of dozens of small purple flowers forming a total inflorescence. Each flower is small and the petals are irregular, which makes insect pollination less easy.
Those small flowers that are successfully pollinated produce spiral-shaped fruits, which slowly dry out from a full blue-green color to a tan, and the tiny seeds are wrapped in them.
When temperatures drop in winter, the aboveground parts of alfalfa wither, and the only remaining stem near the surface remains alive, relying on a strong root system for the winter, waiting for the next spring to re-germinate.