Melilotus indicus
indian sweetclover, sourclover, annual yellow sweetclover, indian sweet-clover. alfalfilla, sour clover
Family
Fabaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Type
compound, trifoliolate
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
yellow
Flower Month
April - October
Height (meters)
0.1 - 1.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FACU
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
-1
Field Characters
Leaflets mostly oblanceolate to obovate. , 10-25 mm long, 5 - 10mm wide.
Animal Use
The following information is for the genus Melilotus: Animals that eat the seeds: Greater prairie chicken, Gambel quail, Animals that eat the plant: Muskrat, Eastern cottontail rabbit, Antelope, White-tailed deer (Martin et al. 1951).
Natural History
Melilotus indica is believed to be self-fertilized (USDA 1948). A native of the Mediterranean area, annual yellow sweetclover is now found throughout Louisiana and scattered over Texas.
Habitat
Roadsides and waste places.