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San Antonio River Authority
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.
Yellow sweetclover, White Sweet Clover
USDA Symbol: MEOF
USDA Native Status: Cultivated, or not in the U.S.
Small, somewhat pea-like flowers, fragrant when crushed, are in long, slender, cylindrical, spike-like clusters rising in the leaf axils on a bushy plant.
Unpublished. Non-native. This tall, introduced legume has the fragrance of new-mown hay when crushed. Both this plant and yellow Sweet Clover (M. indicus) are widely used as pasture crops for nitrogen enrichment of the soil. They are also highly valued as honey plants as suggested by the genus name from meli, a Greek word meaning honey.
Bloom InformationBloom Color: White , Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
DC , IN , OR Canada: AB
, SK Native Habitat:
Roadsides and fields. USDA Native Status: L48(I), AK(I), HI(I), PR(I), CAN(I),
Growing ConditionsWater Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
BenefitConspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Herbarium Specimen(s)NPSOT 0455
Collected Jun 5, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe
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Record Modified: 2012-08-01
Research By: TWC Staff