Annual, biennial or short-lived perennial herbs, sparsely puberulent to glabrescent. Stems erect, 40-100(-250) cm, longitudinally ridged. Stipules linear-falcate, 3-5(-7) mm, entire or with 1 tooth at base;petiole slender;leaflets obovate, broadly ovate, oblanceolate, to linear, 15-25 (-30) × 5-15 mm, lateral veins running into teeth, 8-12 pairs, margins shallowly serrate. Racemes 6-15 (-20) mm, 30-70-flowered, dense at first, becoming lax in anthesis;bracts equal to pedicels, 1.5-2 mm. Corolla yellow, 4.5-7 mm;standard ± equal to wings and keel. Ovary narrowly ovate;ovules 4-8. Legume ovoid, 3-5 × 2 mm, veins transversely reticulate, dark brown, apex with persistent style. Seeds 1 or 2, yellowish brown, smooth, ovoid, 2.5 mm (Flora of China, 2017).
Related invasive species
- Melilotus officinalis
Related Farm Practice
- Flora
- Hosts
Melilotus officinalis is a herbaceous legume species, native to parts of Asia and possibly Europe (sources differ on this), that has been extensively introduced to be used as a forage and nitrogen-fixing crop. It has escaped from cultivation and become an invasive weed in many temperate and tropical regions;it can also be toxic to livestock. It is a prolific seeder, and its seeds can remain viable in the soil for many years. It is fast-growing and can grow in a wide range of environmental conditions. Like other nitrogen-fixing legumes, M. officinalis has the potential to alter soil conditions and nutrient cycling. It is allelopathic and so forms dense monospecific stands that displace and inhibit the establishment of native vegetation. In North America, infestations reduce the occurrence of natural fires and degrade native grassland communities that depend on frequent fires. In Alaska and Canada, this species is a serious problem on waterways because it is invading glacial river floodplains. Currently, it is recognized as a conservation problem in North America because it is invading critical natural areas such as national parks and protected lands.
Melilotus officinalis is listed as a weed in farmlands and grasslands in China (Chen et al., 2009). More specifically, in North America it is listed as a problematic weed in canola (oilseed rape) and wheat fields (Turkington et al., 1978;Conn and Seefeldt, 2009).