MELILOTUS

Melilotus Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4. [s.p.]. 1754; Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. 29: 660. 1900; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 552; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 308.

Annual or biennial herbs, upright. Leaves pinnately trifoliate; stipules entire or nearly so, basally adnate to petiole; leaflets serrulate, lateral veins ending in teeth; stipels absent. Racemes axillary, slender, elongate, flowers numerous. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, perigynous; bracts minute, bracteoles absent. Calyx teeth 5, subequal. Corolla papilionaceous, yellow or white, petals free from staminal tube, deciduous; vexillum ovate-oblong; wings narrow oblong; keel shorter than wings, broadly falcate. Stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1); filaments capillary; anthers uniform. Monocarpellary, ovary sessile or shortly stipitate, unilocular with 2-8 ovules, placentation marginal; style filiform, curved upwards, often persistent. Legumes obovoid or globose, slightly exserted from calyx, indehiscent, surface reticulate veined or wrinkled. Seeds 1 or 2 (-4), broadly ovoid, smooth or papillose.

23 species

KEY TO SPECIES

1. Flowers white……………………………………………………… M. albus
+ Flowers yellow…………………………………………………….. M. indicus

Melilotus albus

Melilotus albus Medikus, Vorles. Churpfalz. Phys.-Ocon. Ges. 2: 382. 1787; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 552; Melilotus alba Desr., Lam. Encycl. Meth. 4: 63. 1796; Boiss., Fl. Or. 2: 209. 1872; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 89. 1879; Ali in Nasir & Ali, Fl. W. Pak. 100: 305. 1977; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur Dist. 262. 2004. Fl. Pak. @ eFloras. org p. 310.

Annual herb, erect, 30-200 cm tall, glabrescent, terete, much branched. Stipules ca. 5 mm long, sparsely hairy, linear, entire. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; petiole ca. 1.8 cm long; leaflets 2.4-3.0 cm x 0.6-1.2 cm, blade lanceolate, oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, apex obtuse, base cuneate, margin serrate in upper half, serrations shallow, puberulent abaxially, glabrous adaxially; lateral veins running into teeth; petiolules 1 mm; adaxial groove in petiole and rachis. Racemes axillary, 5.5 - 6.0 cm long, flowers 40-100. Young flowers dropping down. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, perigynous, ca. 5 mm long, white. Bracts 1-2 mm long, linear. Pedicels 1-2 mm, brown. Sepals 5, fused; calyx 2 mm long, tube slightly longer than teeth, teeth ca. 0.75 mm long, subequal, acute, persistent. Corolla papilionaceous, white; vexillum 4 mm x 2 mm, claw not prominent, apex emarginate; wings and keel ca. 3 mm long, equal or subequal, fused with each other at base. Stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1), vexillary stamen free, anthers uniform. Ovary ca. 1.8 mm long, ovate, unilocular with 2 ovules, placentation marginal; style ca. 2.0 mm; stigma capitate. Legumes elliptic to oblong, 3-3.5 mm x ca. 2 mm, veins reticulate, thin brown, dark when ripe, apex acute, beaked. Seeds 1 or 2, brown, ovoid, papillate

Flowering and Fruiting: March to April
Common Names: White Sweet Clover, Bokhara Clover, Honey Clover, Sweet Clover, White Melilot; Safed Ban Methi (Hindi)