Yellow Sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Yellow Sweetclover is a tall plant with bright yellow flowers that smell sweet! It grows in fields and meadows, making them look sunny and cheerful.

Hábitat: Grasslands

Aspecto

The Yellow Sweetclover is an upright plant with slender, often branching stems. It has small, bright yellow, pea-like flowers tightly clustered in long, narrow spikes at the top of its stalks. Its leaves are trifoliate, meaning they have three leaflets, resembling miniature clovers with finely toothed edges.

ReinoPlantaeFiloTracheophytaClaseMagnoliopsidaOrdenFabalesFamiliaFabaceaeGéneroMelilotus

Yellow Sweetclover

Categoría

Plantas

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

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Datos interesantes

Early pioneers sometimes used its crushed leaves to make soothing poultices for wounds!

It helps farmers break up compacted soil with its super strong, deep roots!

Its pleasant, vanilla-like scent actually becomes stronger as the plant dries!

This plant was once used by people to flavor tobacco and even some types of cheese!

Habilidades especiales

Yellow Sweetclover can pull nitrogen gas from the air and turn it into plant food, making the soil healthier for itself and other plants.

Yellow Sweetclover has a super long taproot that helps it find water deep underground and survive very dry weather.

Yellow Sweetclover produces a sweet-smelling chemical called coumarin, which can help deter some hungry animals from eating too much.

Medidas y detalles

Altura: 50-150 cm
Extensión: 30-60 cm
Tamaño de la flor: 0.3-0.5 cm
Temporada de floración: Late spring to fall
Comestible: No
Toxicidad: Leve
Ciclo de vida: Bienal
Método de polinización: Insectos

Conexiones ecológicas

pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

collects nectar and pollen

pollinates

Common eastern bumblebee

Bombus impatiens

visits flowers for nectar

eaten by

Red deer

Cervus elaphus

grazes on the foliage

eaten by

Meadow vole

Microtus pennsylvanicus

eats seeds and stems

Rasgos

Aromático

Las plantas aromáticas producen y emiten compuestos orgánicos volátiles fragantes, a menudo como defensa o para atraer a los polinizadores.

Fijador de nitrógeno

Describe a los organismos capaces de convertir el nitrógeno atmosférico en compuestos utilizables por las plantas.

Floración

Las plantas con flores son cualquier planta que produce flores como parte de su ciclo reproductivo.

Bienal

Las plantas bienales completan su ciclo de vida en dos temporadas de crecimiento, formando típicamente follaje en el primer año y floreciendo o semillando en el segundo.