Tall melilot, Tall yellow sweet-clover
Melilotus altissimus

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tall herb. It can grow for 2 or more years. It grows 1.5 m high. The stems are erect and branched. The leaflets are oblong and have sharp teeth. The flowers are yellow. They are 5-7 mm long. They are in dense many flowered clusters. The pods are oval and 5-6 mm long. They are flattened and hairy. They become black.

There are about 20 Melilotus species. They are temperate and subtropical.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in damp and salty soils and along roadsides.

Countries/locations it is found in

Albania, Austria, Balkans, Belgium, Britain, Canada, China, Czech, Denmark, Europe, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Moldova, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

CAUTION: Don't use plants dried. It is used for flavouring green cheese. The young shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Visoka medena detelja

Synonyms

Melilotus macrorrhizus (Waldst. & Kit.) Pers.; Trifolium macrorrhizum Waldst. & Kit.;