Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Melilotus indicus
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Small Melilot from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Melilotus indicus
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melilotus indicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Melilotus indicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-15-001:
Melilotus indica FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Melilotus indica
COMMON NAME:
Small Melilot, Sourclover, Indian Sweetclover, Alfalfilla
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_melilotus_indicus1
August VA
Flowers 2-3mm (vs M. officinalis 5-7mm), densely crowded in slender racemes, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_melilotus_indicus2
August VA
This and other Melilotus plants valued as bee plants for honey production, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_melilotus_indicus2b
August VA
Leaflets mostly oblanceolate to obovate, margins serrulate or denticulate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
leaves that are trifoliolate and pinnately compound
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Melilotus indicus
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Melilotus indicus
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melilotus indicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Melilotus indicus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-15-001:
Melilotus indica
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Melilotus indica
3102
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Roadsides, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Mediterranean Europe
Uncommon in Coastal Plain of GA & SC (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
Leaves are subtended by stipules.
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Yellow
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Yellowish to reddish
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p203
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p032
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".