PLANTS Profile for Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweetclover)

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PLANTS Profile

Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.
yellow sweetclover

Symbol:

MEOF

Group:

Dicot

Family:

Fabaceae

Duration:

Annual
Biennial
Perennial

Growth Habit:

Forb/herb

Native Status:

L48		I
AK		I
HI		I
PR		I
CAN		I
GL		I
SPM		I


Common Names:
	ribbed melilot
	field melilot
	cornilla real

Click on the image below to enlarge it and download a high-resolution JPEG file.

Photo of Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Melilotus alba

Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA NRCS. 1992. Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. West Region, Sacramento. Courtesy of USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute. Usage Requirements.

More Information:

Synonym Information:

MEAL12: Characteristics

Images:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Melilotus thumbnails at the PLANTS Gallery

Synonyms:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

MEAL12	Melilotus alba Medikus, orth. var.	white sweetclover
MEAL2	Melilotus albus Medik.	Bokhara-clover, honey-clover, white melilot, white sweet-clover, meliloto blanco
MEALA2	Melilotus albus Medik. var. annuus Coe
MEAR15	Melilotus arvensis Wallr.
MELE6	Melilotus leucanthus W.D.J. Koch ex DC.
MELU6	Melilotus lutea Gueldenst.
MEOFM2	Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. var. micranthus O.E. Schulz

Distribution:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.


View Native Status

See U.S. county distributions (when available) by clicking on the map or the linked states below:
USA (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), USA+ (PR), CAN (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT), DEN (GL), FRA (SPM)

Related Taxa:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

View 236 genera in Fabaceae, 14 species in Melilotus

Classification:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.


Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Rosidae
Order	Fabales
Family	Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus	Melilotus Mill. – sweetclover
Species	Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. – yellow sweetclover

U.S. Weed Information:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

yellow sweetclover
Melilotus alba
white sweetclover

This plant and the related entities and synonyms italicized and indented above can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below. This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Click on an acronym to view each weed list, or click here for a composite list of Weeds of the U.S.

KY		Haragan, P.D. 1991. Weeds of Kentucky and adjacent states: a field guide. The University Press of Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky. 278pp.
NE&GP		Stubbendieck, J., G.Y. Friisoe, & M.R. Bolick. 1994. Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Lincoln, Nebraska. 589pp.
SEEPPC		Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council. 1996. Invasive exotic pest plants in Tennessee (19 October 1999). Research Committee of the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council. Tennessee.
SWSS		Southern Weed Science Society. 1998. Weeds of the United States and Canada. CD-ROM. Southern Weed Science Society. Champaign, Illinois.
WI		Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns (eds.). 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
WSWS		Whitson, T.D. (ed.) et al. 1996. Weeds of the West. Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with Cooperative Extension Services, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. 630pp.

Introduced Information:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

This plant is introduced to some part of the PLANTS Floristic Area, though it may be native in other parts. Click on link below for a partial or complete list of PFA introduced plants.

Scientific Name=	A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| all
Common Name=	A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| all

Wetland Indicator Status:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Nat. Ind.

Reg. 1

Reg. 2

Reg. 3

Reg. 4

Reg. 5

Reg. 6

Reg. 7

Reg. 8

Reg. 9

Reg. 0

Reg. A

Reg. C

Reg. H

FACU-,FACU+

FACU-

FACU

FACU-

FACU

FACU+

FACU

Melilotus alba:

Nat. Ind.

Reg. 1

Reg. 2

Reg. 3

Reg. 4

Reg. 5

Reg. 6

Reg. 7

Reg. 8

Reg. 9

Reg. 0

Reg. A

Reg. C

Reg. H

UPL,FACU+

FACU-

FACU

FACU-

FACU

FACU+

FACU

FACU+

FACU

UPL

Interpreting Wetland Indicator Status

Wildlife Habitat Values:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

	Large Mammals		Small Mammals		Water Birds		Terrestrial Birds
Source	Large Mammals Food	Large Mammals Cover	Small Mammals Food	Small Mammals Cover	Water Birds Food	Water Birds Cover	Terrestrial Birds Food	Terrestrial Birds Cover
Yarrow	Low		Low				Low

Wildlife Habitat Values

Yarrow, G.K., and D.T. Yarrow. 1999. Managing wildlife. Sweet Water Press, Birmingham.

More Accounts and Images:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

View photographs from CalPhotos.

View species account from USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (FEIS).

View species account, photographs, and distribution from USF Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

View species account from ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

View taxonomic account from Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for ITIS Taxonomic Serial Number 26150.

View species account and distribution map from Jepson Interchange (University of California - Berkeley).

View species account and photographs from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network (NPIN).

View species account from Native American Ethnobotany (University of Michigan - Dearborn).

View photographs and distribution from University of Tennessee Herbarium.

View photographs and distribution from University of Washington Burke Museum.

View species account and photographs from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Freckmann Herbarium.

Related Web Sites:
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

IL-Vegetation Management Guidelines (Nature Preserve Commission)

MO-Missouri Vegetation Management Manual

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (Sustainable Agriculture Network)

NY-Cornell University: Poisonous Plant Databases (images)

The Nature Conservancy: Wildland Weeds Management & Research Program

UC Davis, IPM: abstract & images

Time Generated: 10/03/2008 10:31 PM MDT