Botanical Name : Melilotus Alba Desrousseaux
Melilotus Officinalis L. Lamarck
Family : Fabaceae (Alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Trifolieae

Introduction

·       White Sweet Clover Is Native To Europe And Western And Central Asia, South To India And Has Been Assigned To The Eurosiberian And Mediterranean Centers Of Diversity And Is Native To The Boreal Moist To West Through Subtropical Dry To Moist Forest Life Zones, And Persists Up To An Altitude Of 2,000 M.

Botanical Description

·       Melilotus Spp. Is Not True Clovers. Two Common Species Are Melilotus Alba (White Sweet Clover) And Melilotus Officinalis (L.) Pall., (Yellow Sweet Clover). Pods Of Yellow Sweet Clover Are One Or Two Seeded And Seeds Are Smooth, Ovoid-Elliptical, 1.5-3 Mm Long, And 1.5 Mm Broad, Yellow Or Greenish Yellow, Sometimes With Purple Spots. For Yellow Sweet Clover, The Seed Cotyledons Are Very Small, Twice As Long As Broad, And Pale Green. At Seedling Stage, The First True Leaf Is Heart Shaped Or Roundish, And Wavy Around The Edges. The Second And Subsequent Leaves Are Trifoliate. The Plant Is An Annual Or Biennial, Erect Or Decumbent Herb, Stem 1 M Or More Tall, Stipules Entire; Leaves Trifoliate, Leaflets Lanceolate To Narrowly Oblong, Rarely Ovate, 1-2.5 Cm Long; Rachis Of Larger Leaves, Excluding Terminal Petiolule, Often Prolonged More Than 4 Mm Beyond Lateral Leaflets; Racemes Numerous, 5-20 Cm Long, On Peduncles Up To 4 Cm Long; Pedicels 1–2 Mm Long; Calyx About 2 Mm Long; Corolla White, 4-6 Mm Long; Style 1.7-2.3 Mm Long; Pod With Weak Irregular Network Of Veins.