Medicago

Medicago is a genus of flowering plants, family Fabaceae, comprising at least 87 species, commonly called medick or burclover, found mainly around the Mediterranean Basin and extending across temperate Eurasia and sub-Saharan Africa. Most members are low, creeping herbs resembling clover but bearing burs, though the most important species, alfalfa, Medicago sativa, grows to a meter in height, and tree medick is a shrub; the genus produces bioactive compounds including medicarpin and medicagenic acid, and chromosome numbers range from 2n equals 14 to 48. Alfalfa is the genus most economically important member, widely cultivated as a forage crop.