# 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. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 45 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Yellow Sweetclover](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/20140613Melilotus_officinalis.jpg&width=800) Photo: AnRo0002, CC0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20140613Melilotus_officinalis.jpg) ## Appearance 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Melilotus ## Interesting facts - 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! ## Special abilities - **Nitrogen Fixer:** Yellow Sweetclover can pull nitrogen gas from the air and turn it into plant food, making the soil healthier for itself and other plants. - **Deep-Rooted Thirsty Survivor:** Yellow Sweetclover has a super long taproot that helps it find water deep underground and survive very dry weather. - **Sweet Scent Shield:** Yellow Sweetclover produces a sweet-smelling chemical called coumarin, which can help deter some hungry animals from eating too much. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 50-150 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Biennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** Common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Eaten by:** [Red deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-deer) (*Cervus elaphus*) — grazes on the foliage - **Eaten by:** Meadow vole (*Microtus pennsylvanicus*) — eats seeds and stems ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [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. - [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 check with an adult before touching or picking plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Yellow Sweetclover? 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 Yellow Sweetclover? 50-150 cm ### How wide does Yellow Sweetclover spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Yellow Sweetclover? 0.3-0.5 cm ### When does Yellow Sweetclover bloom? Late spring to fall ### Is Yellow Sweetclover edible? No ### Is Yellow Sweetclover toxic? Mild ### What is Yellow Sweetclover's lifecycle? Biennial ## Where to spot - [Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackhand-gorge-state-nature-preserve) — Ohio, US · Nature Reserve - [Boerner Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/boerner-botanical-gardens) — Wisconsin, US · Botanical Garden - [Brooklyn Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brooklyn-botanic-garden) — New York, US · Botanical Garden - [Calico Rock Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/calico-rock-historic-district) — Arkansas, US · Historic District - [Camp Misty Mount Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/camp-misty-mount-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District - [Clayton Public Schools Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clayton-public-schools-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District [View all places to see Yellow Sweetclover](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/yellow-sweetclover) ## 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*) --- Source: [Yellow Sweetclover: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-sweetclover)