Common names:
Yellow sweet clover, common melilot, common sweet clover
Family:
Scientific name:
Melilotus officinalis
Main flower color:
Range:
All the western states (non-native); most common in the Rocky Mountain states
Height:
Up to 8 feet
Habitat:
Open, disturbed ground
Leaves:
Alternate, thick, divided into 3 elliptic segments, lined with large teeth along the edges
Season:
May to September
The yellow (occasionally white), pea-like flowers melilotus officinalis form narrow, elongated clusters, branching off the upper ends of the long, grooved stems, which can reach heights of 8 feet or more. Each flower has a tubular, downwards-pointing corolla, supported by green bracts at the base, and which opens out when in full bloom. There may be several dozen in each cluster, covering up to 4 inches of the upper stem. The corolla is about a quarter of an inch in length, twice as long as the otherwise very similar melilotus indicus.
Melilotus officinalis, like many others introduced to the US (from Europe in this case), has spread all across the country, found in disturbed ground like roadsides and fields. As its name suggests, common sweet clover gives off a pleasant aroma, and has some medicinal uses.
Melilotus officinalis, like many others introduced to the US (from Europe in this case), has spread all across the country, found in disturbed ground like roadsides and fields. As its name suggests, common sweet clover gives off a pleasant aroma, and has some medicinal uses.
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