Melilotus officinalis

Common Name: 
yellow sweet clover
Scientific Name: 
Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam
Family Name: 
Fabaceae (Leguminosae) - Pea or Bean Family
Identification Notes
Life Cycle
introduced annual or biennial, reproducing by seed
Stems
upright very tall, smooth, sometimes pubescent above, widely branched
Growth Habit of Yellow Sweetclover
Growth Habit of Yellow Sweetclover
Leaves
alternate, compound, 3 leaflets, finely pubescent; leaflets oblong to oblanceolate, center leaflet on stalked, lateral leaflet on petiole, margins fine toothed
Flowers
yellow; racemes, terminal and axillary
Seed Pods
very small, 1 to 2-seeded, black to dark grey, wrinkled
Other: 
considered to be the same as white sweetclover