Melilotus officinalis

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

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Family:	FABACEAE
Species:	Melilotus officinalis Lam.
Common Name:	YELLOW SWEETCLOVER
Status:	Not Native, FACU (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	FABALES
Family	FABACEAE
Genus	Melilotus
Species	Melilotus officinalis Lam. - YELLOW SWEETCLOVER

Citation

Citation	MELILOTUS OFFICINALIS Lamarck, Fl. Franc. 2: 594. 1779 ("1778").
Basionym:	**
Type:	**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Escambia	USF
Flagler	USF

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Brachylobus officinalis	Brachylobus officinalis (Linnaeus) Dulac, Fl. Hautes-Pyrénées 279. 1867.	BASIONYM: Melilotus officinalis Lamarck 1779.
Medicago officinalis	Medicago officinalis (Linnaeus) Krause, in Sturm, Deutschl. Fl., ed. 2. 9: 127. 1901.	BASIONYM: Melilotus officinalis Linnaeus 1753.
Melilotus officinalis	Melilotus officinalis (Linnaeus) Desrousseaux, in Lamarck, Encycl. 4: 63. 1797, non Lamarck 1779.	BASIONYM: Trifolium officinale Linnaeus 1753.
Sertula officinalis	Sertula officinalis (Linnaeus) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 205. 1891.	BASIONYM: Trifolium officinale Linnaeus 1753.
Trifolium officinale	Trifolium officinale Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 765. 1753.		TYPE: Without data, Herb. Burser XVIII(2): 64 (lectotype: UPS). Lectotypified by Sales & Hedge, Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 51: 173. 1993.
Trigonella officinalis	Trigonella officinalis (Linnaeus) Coulot & Rabaute, Bull. Soc. Bot. Centre-Ouest, Nouv. Sér., Numéro Spécial 40: 641. 2013.	BASIONYM: Trifolium officinale Linnaeus 1753.
Melilotus arvensis	Melilotus arvensis Wallroth, Sched. Crit. 391. 1822.
Melilotus officinalis var. micranthus	Melilotus officinalis Lamarck, var. micranthus O. Schulz, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 702. 1901.
Melilotus pallidus	Melilotus pallidus Besser ex Seringe, in de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 188. 1825.
Melilotus petitpierreanus	Melilotus petitpierreanus (Hayne) Willdenow, Enum. Pl. 790. 1809.	BASIONYM: Trifolium petitpierreanum Hayne 1808.
Sertula arvensis	Sertula arvensis (Wallroth) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 205. 1891.	BASIONYM: Melilotus arvensis Wallroth 1822.
Trifolium petitpierreanum	Trifolium petitpierreanum Hayne, Neues J. Bot. 2: 337. 1808 ("1807").

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Escambia Co.	02 Jun 1982	G. Wilhelm 10210
USA	Mississippi	Alcorn Co.	06 Jun 1957	G. R. Cooley s.n.
USA	Louisiana	Claiborne Par.	08 Jun 1983	R. D. Thomas 84031
USA	Tennessee	Sevier Co.	09 Aug 1987	C. vanHoek 67
USA	South Carolina	Oconee Co.	23 Apr 1991	S. R. Hill 22300
USA	South Carolina	Georgetown Co.	15 May 1990	J. B. Nelson 9002
USA	North Carolina	Wilson Co.	09 May 1958	A. E. Radford 33174
Peru	Lima		30 Apr 1977	A. Gentry 19938
USA	Florida	Flagler Co.	09 May 1959	C. E. Wood, Jr. 9311
USA	Virginia	Fairfax Co.	22 Jun 1981	J. Whiton 59
USA	Illinois	Kane Co.	25 Aug 1981	R. P. Sauleda 6083
USA	New Jersey	Burlington Co.	02 Jun 1977	J. Carlton s.n.
Canada	Ontario		19 Jun 1968	J. Pinder-Moss 001-216-668
USA	Ohio	Montgomery Co.	05 Jul 1961	M. Hinds 18
USA	Arizona	Coconino Co.	13 Jun 1972	P. Genelle 1296
USA	Maine	York Co.	01 Aug 1901	F. T. Hubbard s.n.	Aquired by Texas Research Foundation as a gift from Mrs.Oakes Ames in 1958.
USA	Ohio	Shelby Co.	02 Aug 2007	A. R. Franck 554
USA	West Virginia	Jackson Co.	18 Jul 1953	R. Guthrie s.n.
USA	Pennsylvania	Allegheny Co.	25 Jun 1901	J. A. Shafer s.n.
USA	Nebraska	Keith Co.	28 Jun 1980	L. A. Kapustka NE-46
USA	Kentucky	Rowan Co.	01 Jul 1961	E. M. Browne 4393
USA	Montana	Missoula Co.	16 Jun 1948	D. H. Ulmer Jr. 145
USA	Vermont	Chittenden Co.	28 Jun 1912	C. H. Knowlton s.n.
USA	Massachusetts	Nantucket Co.	01 Jul 1889	M. Rodman s.n.

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

Filter by County - Counties to Include - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will be found within at least one of the selected counties.
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Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org websites

Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

Only plant populations vouchered by specimens deposited in Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ recognized herbaria are represented on this map.