Vascular Plants - Fabaceae - Melilotus:
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Melilotus indicus
annual yellow sweet-clover, Indian sweet-clover, small-flowered yellow sweet-clover 
Image © Richard Old
Image © Richard Old
Blooms: May - July
Habit: herb
Duration: annual
Origin: Introduced
Distribution: Sparingly introduced in western Washington and Oregon, more common in California.
Habitat: Waste ground, disturbed soil.
Species Description:

General: Glabrous annual or biennial, the stem up to 1 m. tall, branched above.
Leaves: Leaves trifoliate, leaflets lanceolate, serrulate only on the upper half.
Flowers: Inflorescence of several elongate, spike-like racemes 2-8 cm. long arising in the leaf axils, with small, linear bracts; flowers small, pea-like, yellow, 2-3 mm. long; calyx teeth 5, equal, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse.
Fruits: Pod 2-2.5 mm. long.
Accepted Name:
Melilotus indicus (L.) All.
Synonyms:
Melilotus indica L.

Treated in Flora of the PNW as:
Melilotus indica
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria Specimens: View list of Melilotus indicus specimens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WTU Herbarium Specimens: View list of Melilotus indicus specimens in the WTU Herbarium database.

Washington Flora Checklist: Melilotus indicus treatment.

E-Flora BC: Melilotus indicus atlas page.

CalPhotos: Melilotus indicus images.

USDA Plants Database: Melilotus indicus.
Additional photographs of Melilotus indicus:
(click on a thumbnail to view larger photo)

Richard Old

Richard Old

Richard Old

Richard Old

Richard Old

Richard Old

Rod Randall

Richard Old

Richard Old
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Washington Native Plant Society
WA Native Plant Society