# melilots and sweetclovers (*Melilotus*)

Melilots and sweetclovers are lovely plants with sweet-smelling flowers. They often grow in fields and gardens, attracting bees and butterflies with their bright blooms.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands
- **Also known as:** Melilot, Sweetclover

![melilots and sweetclovers](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/131876317/medium.jpeg)

Photo: no rights reserved, uploaded by Irene Saltini, CC0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/131876317)

## Appearance

The melilots and sweetclovers has delicate clusters of tiny white or yellow pea-like flowers that bloom along tall, branching stems. Its leaves are trifoliate, like clovers, creating a bushy, upright appearance, and it stands out with its airy flower spikes.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Fabales
- **Family:** Fabaceae
- **Genus:** Melilotus

## Interesting facts

- Ancient Romans used sweetclover to make a special kind of sweet wine!
- The dried leaves release a vanilla-like scent and are sometimes used as a natural air freshener!
- Their tiny seeds can stay alive in the soil for many, many years, waiting to grow!
- They are sometimes called "honey clover" because bees adore their sweet nectar!

## Special abilities

- **Nitrogen Factory:** Melilots and sweetclovers can team up with root bacteria to pull nitrogen from the air, fertilizing the soil!
- **Deep Drinker:** Melilots and sweetclovers has a super-long taproot that can reach deep underground for water during dry times.
- **Sweet Scent Signal:** Melilots and sweetclovers has a sweet, honey-like fragrance that helps it attract many busy pollinator insects.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 50-200 cm
- **Spread:** 30-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Biennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects abundant nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — visits flowers for nectar and pollen
- **Eaten by:** [Cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — grazes on fresh plants as forage

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch without asking an adult, as some plants can cause allergies.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify melilots and sweetclovers?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is melilots and sweetclovers?

50-200 cm

### How wide does melilots and sweetclovers spread?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on melilots and sweetclovers?

0.2-0.5 cm

### When does melilots and sweetclovers bloom?

Summer

### Is melilots and sweetclovers edible?

Yes

### Is melilots and sweetclovers toxic?

Mild

### What is melilots and sweetclovers's lifecycle?

Biennial

## Where to spot

- [Hyner View State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hyner-view-state-park) — Pennsylvania, US · State Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Melilots And Sweetclovers: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/melilots-and-sweetclovers)