DIPLOID MEDICAGO FALCATA L

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Abstract
A collection of 32 seed samples of diploid M. falcata was studied in relation to their geographical growing sites and to their differences in various characters. Yellow flowers and straight to crescent shaped pods were possessed by all diploid strains and hence these may be considered as characteristic for the species on the whole. Many other characters, such as prostrate growth habit, many-branched root system, head-like racemes, pendant pods, glandular hairs, and seed size, which often have been ascribed to M. falcata or used for char-acterization of new, separate species, were found to be too variable to justify such claims. The geographical distributions of diploids, 10 to 80[degree]E. longitude and 42 to 60[degree]N. latitude would indicate a wide spread probably in times prior to glaciation. The distribution north but not south of 42[degree]N. latitude would suggest that the area of species origin has been the Eurasian north-temperate zone. This is in distinction to the related diploid M. sativa which has its distribution area southeast of M. falcata. The diploid M. hemicycla is found in mountainous sites between the above two species and may be of hybrid origin. Diploid M. falcata may be a germ plasm source for breeding in cultivated alfafa morphological variability in diploids was found to be very great and physiological properties likely may be of similar diversity.

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