Alfalfa is a plant with small purple flowers and deep roots, grown especially in the United States as food for farm animals — cows, horses, sheep. Farmers cut it and dry it as hay, or let animals eat it in the field. In American English this is the usual name. In British English you will often hear lucerne for the same plant; both names are right, they are just different habits. People also eat the young sprouts in salads, so you may see alfalfa sprouts in a sandwich. It is fodder first, not a vegetable you cook for dinner. The English name came from Spanish, and before that from Arabic.

苜蓿（當飼料的那種；三明治裡的 alfalfa sprouts 是苜蓿芽。英式英語常叫 lucerne）