Melilotus officinalis

Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

by Ellen Dorn, Native Plants of Arizona 2004

Common names: Yellow sweetclover (1), yellow melilot, honey clover, king’s clover(2).
Family: Fabaceae (2).
Synonymy: Melilotus albus Medik., Melilotus albus var. annuus Coe (3).
Etymology: Melilotus: meli- honey (Greek) and lotos (lotus, a kind of wild clover (Greek), officinalis: from its use in pharmacy (1).

Identification
Growth form: Annual, winter annual or biennial, 2 to 6 feet high (4).
Roots: Taproot, semiwoody, with numerous extensive laterals, bacterial nodules present (1).
Stem: Robust, erect, ridged (1).
Leaves: Alternate, petioled with 3 leaflets, finely toothed on margins, stipules bristlelike (1).
Inflorescence/flowers: Racemes, flowers yellow, small, pealike, subtended by minute bracts. Petals 5, banner longer than wings, keel short, blunt-tipped. Ten stamens, persistent. Upper stamens free, lower 9 united by their filaments (1).
Fruit: Pod, small, egg-shaped, usually one-seeded, cross-ribbed (1,4).
Similar species: Melilotus alba has white flowers. M. indica has net-veined pods and is less common (4). M. indica has shorter flowers (5).

Ecology

Life history: Annual or biennial.
Native/introduced: Introduced from Europe and Asia, naturalized in North America (1).
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: Flowers July to October (5).
Distribution: Throughout the United States(1). Roadsides and fields to 8000 feet (2). In Arizona: Navajo, Coconino, Yavapai and Gila counties (5).

Uses

Cultivated for pasture and hay (1,4). Excellent honey producer. Roots bind soil and enrich it with nitrogen (2). Pleasant fragrance used to scent rooms and pillows(6). Contains coumarinic acids. Has anti-edematous properties, increases venous reflux and improves lymphatic kinetics. Used internally (infusion) for pain and heaviness in legs, night cramps in legs, varicose veins. Used externally for contusions (7).

References
1. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1988. Range Plant Handbook. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York.

2. Epple, Anne Orth. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. LewAnn Publishing Co., Mesa, Arizona.

3. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) on-line database. (http://www.itis.usda.gov).

4. Weeds of the West. 5^th ed., 1996. Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with the Western United States Land Grant Universities Cooperative Extension Services, Newark, California.

5. Kearney, Thomas H., Robert H. Peebles and collaborators. 1960. Arizona Flora. Second edition with Supplement by John Thomas Howell, Elizabeth McClintock and collaborators. University of California, Press, Berkeley, California.

6. Moore, Michael. 2000. Plants of the Mountain West: revised and expanded edition. Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe.

7. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1998. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

*Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.* by Ellen Dorn, Native Plants of Arizona 2004 Common names: Yellow sweetclover (1), yellow melilot, honey clover, king’s clover(2). Family: Fabaceae (2). Synonymy: Melilotus albus Medik., Melilotus albus var. annuus Coe (3). Etymology: Melilotus: meli- honey (Greek) and lotos (lotus, a kind of wild clover (Greek), officinalis: from its use in pharmacy (1). Identification Growth form: Annual, winter annual or biennial, 2 to 6 feet high (4). Roots: Taproot, semiwoody, with numerous extensive laterals, bacterial nodules present (1). Stem: Robust, erect, ridged (1). Leaves: Alternate, petioled with 3 leaflets, finely toothed on margins, stipules bristlelike (1). Inflorescence/flowers: Racemes, flowers yellow, small, pealike, subtended by minute bracts. Petals 5, banner longer than wings, keel short, blunt-tipped. Ten stamens, persistent. Upper stamens free, lower 9 united by their filaments (1). Fruit: Pod, small, egg-shaped, usually one-seeded, cross-ribbed (1,4). Similar species: Melilotus alba has white flowers. M. indica has net-veined pods and is less common (4). M. indica has shorter flowers (5). Ecology Life history: Annual or biennial. Native/introduced: Introduced from Europe and Asia, naturalized in North America (1). Photosynthetic pathway: Phenology: Flowers July to October (5). Distribution: Throughout the United States(1). Roadsides and fields to 8000 feet (2). In Arizona: Navajo, Coconino, Yavapai and Gila counties (5). Uses Cultivated for pasture and hay (1,4). Excellent honey producer. Roots bind soil and enrich it with nitrogen (2). Pleasant fragrance used to scent rooms and pillows(6). Contains coumarinic acids. Has anti-edematous properties, increases venous reflux and improves lymphatic kinetics. Used internally (infusion) for pain and heaviness in legs, night cramps in legs, varicose veins. Used externally for contusions (7). References 1. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1988. Range Plant Handbook. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York. 2. Epple, Anne Orth. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. LewAnn Publishing Co., Mesa, Arizona. 3. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) on-line database. (http://www.itis.usda.gov). 4. Weeds of the West. 5^th ed., 1996. Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with the Western United States Land Grant Universities Cooperative Extension Services, Newark, California. 5. Kearney, Thomas H., Robert H. Peebles and collaborators. 1960. Arizona Flora. Second edition with Supplement by John Thomas Howell, Elizabeth McClintock and collaborators. University of California, Press, Berkeley, California. 6. Moore, Michael. 2000. Plants of the Mountain West: revised and expanded edition. Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe. 7. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1998. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.