Pronounced: mù xu .

Alfalfa is the common name for plants of the genus Alfalfa (Medicago), commonly known as goldenrod, a perennial flowering plant. The best known of these is alfalfa (Medicago sativa), which is used as a pasture grass. There are many different types of alfalfa, most of which are wild herbs. Alfalfa is native to Iran, is today the world's most widely distributed cultivated forage grass, has been cultivated in China for more than two thousand years, the main producing areas in the northwest, north China, northeast, Jiangsu and Huaihua basins.