苜蓿是最早栽培的草木植物,在波斯,公元前700年就开始被人们所利用,前5世纪引入希腊,一世纪经意大利逐渐传遍欧洲,8世纪由摩尔人传入西班牙(alfalfa一词源于阿拉伯语)。之后,又由西班牙传入南美和加利福尼亚,16世纪传入法国和德国,约在同一时期传入北美和新西兰。近200年来,苜蓿几乎已传遍世界各国,在北半球,从欧洲西北、加拿大和阿拉斯加到与热带毗连的沙漠地带均有分布,在南 Alfalfa is the earliest cultivated vegetation in Persia, which began to be used by people in 700 BC. It was introduced into Greece in the 5th century BC and gradually passed through Europe in the first century through Italy. It was introduced by the Moors into Spain in the 8th century In Arabic). Later, it was spread from Spain to South America and California. In the 16th century, it was introduced to France and Germany and was introduced to North America and New Zealand about the same time. Nearly 200 years, alfalfa has spread to almost all countries in the world, in the northern hemisphere, from northwestern Europe, Canada and Alaska to the tropical contiguous desert areas are distributed in the south