The term ‘Medicago’ is derived from the native Greek or Roman name for alfalfa, which is Medike, Medikein, or Medick. The genus Medicago contains about 70-110 species with a center of diversity in the Mediterranean and West Asia, from Madeira and the Canary Islands to China. The majority of the members of the genus Medicago are herbaceous, and the rest are rarely sub-shrubs or small shrubs. The roots of the majority of the herbaceous species are noduled, and they are resistant to biological nitrogen fixation. There are two types of prominent leaves of the medics: compound leaves and trifoliolate leaves. The slashes between leaflets of the compound leaf are of different lengths in a few species. Shoots of the following year emerge from rosettes; rare species are with a short-lived stem.
Taxonomy and Classification:
1. Kingdom
Plantae
The plant kingdom includes all plants
2. Clade
Angiosperms
This clade consists of flowering plants that produce seeds enclosed within a
fruit.
3. Clade
Eudicots
A major clade of angiosperms characterized by having two seed leaves or cotyledons.
4. Clade
Rosids
A large clade within the eudicots that includes many economically important
plants.
5. Order
Fabales
The order that includes legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.), which have a
characteristic fruit type known as a legume or pod.
6. Family
Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
The legume family, known for its members' ability to fix nitrogen in the soil
through symbiotic relationships with bacteria.
7. Genus
Medicago
A genus within the legume family that includes various species commonly
known as medics.
