Alfalfa is a long-lived perennial in the Fabaceae (or is sometimes put in the Papilionaceae) family with leguminous flowers which vary in color from purple to yellow, trifoliate clover-like leaves, and a deep penetrating tap root (some sources say that taproots have been found reaching down 68 feet into the soil!). Alfalfa is native to southwest Asia with wild species occurring in the Caucasus, and in mountainous regions of Afghanistan and Iran, and is very widely cultivated throughout the world.