x
FloraFinder uses cookies only for correct operation. More info. Okay

 

Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

White sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover

Those botanists. Always changing the rules. Sweet clover, so-called for its sweet, haylike scent, used to come in several varieties, notably white (Melilotus alba) and yellow (M. officinalis). Now they are considered one and the same, at least according to the USDA Plants Database, which we use as the standard for herbaceous plant names. It isn’t the botanists’ fault though. Naming plants in a way that reflects their relationships to each other is a complex and subtle business. Sweet clovers are European and Asian natives, introduced and now widespread in North America, and invasive in some habitats.

Plants: 2–7′ (60–213 cm) tall, often branched, bushy or gangly in appearance. Stems are fairly straight but not necessarily erect; sometimes they sprawl along the ground or over other plants. They are hairless.

Leaves: Alternate, occurring in clover-like clusters of three. Leaflets are ¾ ⨉ ¼″ (1.9 cm ⨉ 6.3 mm), oval, with slightly toothed edges.

Flowers: Long, curving spikes contain tiny, pea-like flowers that are yellow or white. Each flower is ⅛–3/16″ (4–6 mm) long. The flower spikes are probably the most obvious identifying feature. Flowering occurs from June to September.

Fruits: Oval-shaped, 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) long, with raised veins.

Habitats: Open disturbed land, prairies, and savannahs, in full or partial sunlight.

Edibility: Fresh young leaves, shoots, and seedpods can be eaten raw. However, sweet clovers contain coumarin. While coumarin is responsible for their appealing smell, if the plants develop mold, coumarin is converted to dicoumarol, a blood thinner that is poisonous in significant amounts. Moldy or dried leaves may be toxic Skull & Crossbones! (If you know someone taking Coumadin, a drug used in carefully controlled amounts to prevent clotting of the blood, it is derived from dicoumarol.)

Medical: Sweet clover has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, and there is some evidence that at least some of these treatments, such as for varicose veins, convey real benefits. However, given the blood-thinning effects of improperly harvested or prepared plants, we don’t recommend its use.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers (Melilotus officinalis)

Illinois Wildflowers (Melilotus alba)

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert (Melilotus officinalis)

Melilotus alba Medikus， orth. var.
Melilotus albus Medik.
Melilotus albus Medik. var. annuus Coe
Melilotus arvensis Wallr.
Melilotus leucanthus W.D.J. Koch ex DC.
Melilotus lutea Gueldenst.
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. var. micranthus O.E. Schulz

 

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 4″ (11 × 11 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/3/2023 · Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Penn­syl­vania

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

This flowers even when routinely mowed. · 9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 4½″ (11 × 11 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4 × 5″ (11 × 13 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Vir­ginia · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (12 × 16 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

5/22/2009 · Oak Creek Vista, Ari­zona · ≈ 11 × 17″ (28 × 43 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/20/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

5/22/2026 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

8/26/2014 · El Malpais Information Center, National Parks Service, El Malpais, New Mex­ico · ≈ 6 × 8″ (16 × 19 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

8/2/2025 · Land’s End, Bailey Island, Maine · ≈ 7 × 7″ (17 × 17 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/20/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.4 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 14 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (11 × 14 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/31/2023 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

9/18/2016 · Deer Isle Beach Vegetation Recla

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (11 × 15 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/20/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

8/26/2014 · El Malpais Information Center, National Parks Service, El Malpais, New Mex­ico · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/19/2017 · Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/28/2013 · Andres Institute of Art, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (12 × 8.5 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

8/26/2014 · El Malpais Information Center, National Parks Service, El Malpais, New Mex­ico · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 5 × 7″ (13 × 17 cm)

Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, sweet clover, sweetclover)

5/20/2023 · Knight’s Pond Preserve, Cumberland, Maine

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderFabalesLegumes (pea and bean families)
FamilyFabaceaeLegume family (peas and beans)
GenusMelilotusFrom Greek meli, “honey,” and lotos, a leguminous plant
SpeciesofficinalisSold at pharmacies; believed to have medicinal benefits

About plant names...

Range:

About this map...

Melilotus officinalis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.