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Legume
Legume Seed | Alfalfa | Alsike Clover | Birdsfoot Trefoil | Crownvetch | Hairyvetch |
Ladino Clover | Korean Lespedeza | Red Clover | Sweetclover | White Dutch Clove

Grass
Grass Seed | Orchardgrass | Tall Fescue | Perennial Ryegrass | K. Bluegrass | Timothy | Reed Canarygrass
Smooth Bromegrass | Big  Bluestem | Switchgrass | Indiangrass | Sorghum  X  Sudan | Sudangrass

Yellow and White Sweetclover
 Yellow: Melilotus officionalis (L.) Lam.
 White: Melilotus alba Desr.

Longevity:

Annual or Biennial
Palatability:

Medium
Winter Hardiness:

-- to Good
Drought Tolerance:

Good
Cool or Warm Season:

Cool
Bloat Hazard:

Yes
Use and Comments:

Green Manure crop, forage for bees, Hay, pasture, silage; sweetclover disease can be a problem; AY-213.
Distribution in U.S.:

Great Plains and Midwest.
Height:

18-60 inches (yellow); 24-84 inches (white).
Leaves:
 Pinnately trifoliolate; leaflets serrated over entire margin; stipules small, not toothed.
Long racemes bearing 10-96 florets; sweet odor; white or yellow flowers.
Roots:
 Long, deep taproot.

Yellow flowered Sweetclover plant
White flowered Sweetclover plant

Sweetclover leaves (serrated)

Sweetclover root

Soil
Drainage:

Well Drained
Fertility:

Medium-High
pH:
6.8-7.2

 
 
Seed
Color:
Greenish-yellow (yellow blossom seed may be flecked with purple).

Shape:

Mitt

Pounds Per Bushel:

60

Seeds Per Pound:
 260,000

Seeding Rate:

10-12 pounds PLS per acre.

Seeding Date (Indiana):

Feb 1-May 1

Emergence Time (Days):

7

Optimum Germ. Temp. (F):

70


Sweetclover Seed

 

 

For more forage information contact Dr. Keith Johnson: johnsonk@purdue.edu

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