yellow sweet clover

(Melilotus officinalis)

Conservation Status
yellow sweet clover
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNA - No Status Rank

SNA - No Status Rank

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Weed Status
   
 

Yellow sweet clover is listed as an invasive terrestrial plant by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. However, it is not currently regulated in Minnesota.

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Yellow sweet clover is a 1 to 6 tall, erect, freely branching, biennial forb rising on many stems from a strong taproot. The stems are branching, light green, and hairless. The taller plants tend to be bushy, the shorter plants lanky. In the first year they are small and do not flower. In the second year they are taller, bushy, and produce many flower clusters.

The compound leaves are alternate, hairless and divided into three leaflets.The leaflets are oblanceolate or obovate, ½ to 1 long and up to ¼ wide. They are plain green, finely toothed along the middle and upper margins, the teeth pointed outward rather than forward. The middle leaflet is on a distinct stalk.

The inflorescence is many tall, spike-like clusters of stalked flowers. The clusters are on elongated stems produced in the axils of the middle and upper leaves. The flowering stems are 2 to 6 long. Dozens of small flowers are crowded along the top two thirds of the stem.

The flowers are to long and are attached to the stem with a minute stalk. They droop down but ascend at the tip.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

1 to 6

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Yellow

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

White sweet clover (Melilotus albus) has white flowers. It is usually a little taller than yellow sweet clover. The foliage is grayish-green, not plain green. It blooms 2 to 3 weeks later than yellow sweet clover.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry. Open, upland areas, prairies, disturbed sites, roadsides. Full sun or partial shade, never full shade.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

Late May to September

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 5, 7, 22, 28, 29, 30.

 
  7/12/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native to Asia, Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. Introduced and naturalized in North America.

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Fabales (legumes, milkworts, and allies)  
 

Family

Fabaceae (legumes)  
  Subfamily Faboideae  
  Tribe

Trifolieae

 
  Genus Melilotus (melilots and sweetclovers)  
       
 

Some sources, including BONAP and USDA PLANTS, consider white sweet clover (Melilotus alba) and yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) the same species with differently colored flowers. It that is the case, then white sweet clover should be treated as Melilotus officinalis ssp. alba. BONAP lists Melilotus officinalis but not Melilotus alba. It does not list subspecies or varieties of any plants. USDA PLANTS curiously lists just sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis), with no subspecies, and with Melilotus alba as a synonym. Most sources treat white and yellow sweet clovers as separate species.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Melilotus albus

Melilotus albus var. annuus

Melilotus graveolens

Melilotus officinalis f. suaveolens

Melilotus suaveolens

Trifolium officinale

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

field melilot

ribbed melilot

yellow melilot

yellow sweet clover

yellow sweetclover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Compound leaf

A leaf that is divided into leaflets, each leaflet having the general appearance of a leaf, with all leaflets attached to a single leaf stem.

 

Oblanceolate

Reverse lanceolate; much longer than wide, thickest toward the tip, and gradually tapering toward the base.

 

Obovate

Reverse egg-shaped, with the attachment at the narrower end.

 
 
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Inflorescence

 
    yellow sweet clover   yellow sweet clover  
           
 

Flowers

 
    yellow sweet clover      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Melilotus officinalis
Matt Lavin
 
  Melilotus officinalis  
 
About

Introduced taprooted biennial herb, stems often to 1 m tall or taller, leaflet margins serrate at least distally, flowers with yellow petals, pods inconspiuous, with 1 seed, common along roadsides, in fields, grasslands, and rangeland where overgrazed or intentionally seeded, does well where disturbance is regular, although seedlings, but not adults, are common in well managed sagebrush steppe.

 

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus Officinalis) - 2012-06-25
W3stlander
 
   
 
About

Published on Jun 27, 2012

De citroengele honingklaver (Melilotus officinalis), ook vaak Akkerhoningklaver genaamd, is een tweejarige- of meerjarige plant uit de vlinderbloemenfamilie (Leguminosae).

   
  Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus Officinalis) - 2012-06-11
W3stlander
 
   
 
About

Published on Jun 12, 2012

Melilotus officinalis, known as the yellow sweet clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot or common melilot is a species of legume.

----------
De citroengele honingklaver (Melilotus officinalis), ook vaak Akkerhoningklaver genaamd, is een tweejarige- of meerjarige plant uit de vlinderbloemenfamilie (Leguminosae).

   
  Environmental Laboratory - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
EnvLabERDC
 
   
 
About

Published on Feb 15, 2013

Melilotus officinalis - Yellow Sweetclover

   
  Sweetclover 040412
Marco Peña
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 2, 2012

Agricultural Systems Management Degree in Yuma

Presentation by: Tawnie Guerrero

"Sweetclover"

PLS 300 Weed Science Class

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
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