The present document is a companion document to Dir94-08: Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of Plants with Novel Traits. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Medicago sativa L., its centre of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from M. sativa L. into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it may interact. Such species specific information will serve as a guide for addressing some of the information requirements of Part D of Dir94-08. Specifically, it will be used to determine if significantly different/altered interactions occur with other life forms resulting from the PNT’s novel gene products, which could potentially cause the PNT to become a weed of agriculture, become invasive of natural habitats, or be otherwise harmful to the environment.