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{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the bean family Fabaceae}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2010}}
:''This article is about the genus of grassland plants. For the moshav, see [[Mlilot]].''
{{About|the genus of grassland plants|the moshav|Mlilot}}
{{taxobox
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Bombus lapidarius - Melilotus officinalis - Tallinn.jpg
|image =Melilotus_officinalis_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-093.jpg
|image_caption = ''Melilotus officinalis''
|image_caption = ''Melilotus officinalis''
⚫
|taxon = Melilotus
|regnum = [[Plant]]ae
|authority = [[Philip Miller|Mill.]]<ref name=powo>{{Cite web|title=Melilotus Mill. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science|url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:325467-2|access-date=2020-06-28|website=Plants of the World Online}}</ref>
|unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperms]]
|type_species = ''[[Melilotus officinalis]]''
|unranked_classis = [[Eudicots]]
|type_species_authority = (L.) Lam.
|unranked_ordo = [[Rosids]]
|ordo = [[Fabales]]
|familia = [[Fabaceae]]
|subfamilia = [[Faboideae]]
⚫
|tribus = [[Trifolieae]]
⚫
|genus = '''''Melilotus'''''
|genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = See text
|subdivision = See text
|synonyms = ''Brachylobus'' <small>Dulac (1867)</small><ref name="Mediterranean">{{cite book | last1 = Woodgate | first1 = Katherine | last2 = Maxted | first2 = Nigel | last3 = Bennett | first3 = Sarita Jane | editor1-first = Sarita Jane | editor1-last = Bennett | editor2-first = Philip Stanley | editor2-last = Cocks | title = Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes | series = Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture | volume = 33 | year = 1996 | publisher = Kluwer Academic Publishers | location = Norwell, MA | isbn = 0-7923-5522-9 | page = 203 | chapter = Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes}}</ref><br>
|synonyms = ''Brachylobus'' <small>Dulac (1867)</small><ref name="Mediterranean">{{cite book|last1=Woodgate|first1=Katherine |last2=Maxted|first2=Nigel|last3=Bennett|first3=Sarita Jane|editor1-first=Sarita Jane|editor1-last=Bennett|editor2-first=Philip Stanley|editor2-last=Cocks|title=Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes|series=Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture|volume=33|year=1996|publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers|location=Norwell, MA|isbn=978-0-7923-5522-9 |page=203}}</ref><br />
''Melilothus'' <small>Homem. (1819)</small><ref name="Mediterranean" /><br>
''Melilothus'' <small>Homem. (1819)</small><ref name="Mediterranean"/><br />
''Meliloti'' <small>Medik. (1787)</small><ref name="Mediterranean" /><br>
''Meliloti'' <small>Medik. (1787)</small><ref name="Mediterranean"/><br />
''Meliotus'' <small>Steud. (1841)</small><ref name="Mediterranean" /><br>
''Meliotus'' <small>Steud. (1841)</small><ref name="Mediterranean"/><br />
''Sertula'' <small>O. Ktze. (1891)</small><ref name="Mediterranean" />
''Sertula'' <small>O. Ktze. (1891)</small><ref name="Mediterranean"/>
|}}
}}


[[File:Apis mellifera - Melilotus albus - Keila.jpg|thumb|''Melilotus albus'']]
'''''Melilotus''''', known as '''Melilot''' or '''Sweet-clover''', is a genus in the family [[Fabaceae]]. Members are known as common grassland plants and as weeds of cultivated ground. Originally from Europe and Asia, it is now found worldwide.
'''''Melilotus''''', known as '''melilot''', '''sweet clover''', and '''kumoniga''' (from the [[Cumans]]),<ref name="Bulgarian Folk Customs pg 27">Bulgarian Folk Customs, Mercia MacDermott, pg 27</ref> is a genus in the family [[Fabaceae]] (the same family that also includes the ''Trifolium'' [[clover]]s). Members are known as common grassland plants and as weeds of cultivated ground. Originally from Europe and Asia, it is now found worldwide.


This legume is commonly named for its sweet smell, which is due to its high content of the perfume agent [[coumarin]]. This chemical is responsible for the sweet smell of hay and is bitter to the taste, probably produced by the plant to discourage ingestion by animals.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/coumarin.php | accessdate=2011-11-26 | title=Phytochemicals.info:Coumarin}}</ref> Coumarin, in turn, is converted by fungi (including ''Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium'', and ''Mucor''<ref>Edwards WC, Burrows GE, Tyr RJ: 1984, ''Toxic plants of Oklahoma:clovers''. Okla Vet Med Assoc 36:30-32.</ref>) into a poisonous anticoagulant, called [[dicoumarol]], that may be found in moldly or spoiled sweet-clover. This compound was the historical cause of so-called '''sweet-clover disease''', recognized in cattle since the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://vdi.sagepub.com/content/7/3/420.full.pdf | year=1995 | work=J Vet Diagn Invest 7:420-422 | title=''Dicoumarol (moldy sweet clover) toxicosis in a group of Holstein calves'' | author=Behzad Yamini, Robert H. Poppenga, W. Emmett Braselton, Jr., and Lawrence J. Judge}}</ref>
This [[legume]] is commonly named for its sweet smell, which is due to the presence of [[coumarin]] in its tissues. Coumarin, though responsible for the sweet smell of hay and [[Smell of freshly cut grass|newly mowed grass]], has a bitter taste, and, as such, possibly acts as a means for the plant to discourage consumption by animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/coumarin.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927134634/http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/coumarin.php|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 27, 2006|access-date=26 November 2011|title=Phytochemicals.info:Coumarin}}</ref> Fungi (including ''Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium'', and ''Mucor''<ref>Edwards WC, Burrows GE, Tyr RJ: 1984, ''Toxic plants of Oklahoma:clovers''. Okla Vet Med Assoc 36:30-32.</ref>) can convert coumarin into [[dicoumarol]], a toxic [[anticoagulant]]. Consequently, dicoumarol may be found in decaying sweet-clover, and was the cause of the so-called '''sweet-clover disease''', recognized in cattle in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite journal |year=1995|journal=J Vet Diagn Invest|volume=7|issue=3|pages=420–422|title=Dicoumarol (moldy sweet clover) toxicosis in a group of Holstein calves|author=Behzad Yamini |author2=Robert H. Poppenga |author3=W. Emmett Braselton Jr. |author4=Lawrence J. Judge |doi=10.1177/104063879500700328|pmid = 7578469|doi-access=free}}</ref> A few varieties of sweet clover have been developed with low coumarin content and are safer for forage and [[silage]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/sweet_clovers|title=Sweet clovers: What is the difference between yellow sweet clover and white sweet clover?|author=Christina Curell|publisher=[[Michigan State University]]|date=July 2, 2013|access-date=17 May 2017}}</ref>

The name ''sweet clover'' varies [[English orthography|orthographically]] (''sweet-clover'', ''sweetclover'').


==Uses==
==Uses==
''Melilotus'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including case-bearers of the genus ''[[Coleophora]]'' that including ''C. frischella'' and ''C. trifolii''.
''Melilotus'' species are eaten by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species, such as those of the genus ''[[Coleophora]]'', including ''[[Coleophora frischella|C. frischella]]'' and ''[[Coleophora trifolii|C. trifolii]]''.


''Melilotus'' is often used as a [[green manure]] and turned into the soil to increase its nitrogen and organic matter content. It is especially valuable in heavy soils because of its deep rooting. However, it may fail if the soil is too acidic. It should be turned into the soil when 8 to 10&nbsp;inches tall. [[Scarification (botany)|Unscarified]] seed is best sown in spring when the ground is not too dry; scarified seed is better sown in late fall or even in the snow, so it will germinate before competing weeds the following spring.<ref>''Five Acres and Independence'' by M.G. Kains. 1973.</ref>
''Melilotus'', often used as a [[green manure]], can be turned into the soil to increase its nitrogen and organic matter content. It is especially valuable in heavy soils because of its deep rooting. However, it may fail if the soil is too acidic. It should be turned into the soil when 8 to 10&nbsp;inches tall. [[Scarification (botany)|Unscarified]] seed is best sown in spring when the ground is not too dry; scarified seed is better sown in late fall or even in the snow, so it will germinate before competing weeds the following spring.<ref>''Five Acres and Independence'' by M.G. Kains. 1973.</ref>

''[[Melilotus siculus]]'' (messina) is notable for its high combined tolerance to salinity and water logging. As of 2019, the "Neptune" variety has the highest tolerance and persistence under salinity among all pasture legumes, according to the Australian [[Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development]]. The salt-tolerant symbioant ''[[Ensifer medicae]]'' SRDI554 is recommended.<ref>{{cite web |title=Neptune messina – a new pasture legume for saline soils prone to waterlogging |url=https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/neptune |website=www.agric.wa.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>


==Others==
==Others==
[[Blue Melilot]] (''Trigonella caerulea'') is not a member of the genus, despite the name.
[[Blue melilot]] (''Trigonella caerulea'') is not a member of the genus, despite the name.


== Species ==
==Species==
The genus ''Melilotus'' currently has nineteen recognized species:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?7430|accessdate=2010-08-04|title=Species Nomenclature in GRIN}}</ref>
The genus ''Melilotus'' currently has nineteen recognized species:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?7430|access-date=4 August 2010|title=Species Nomenclature in GRIN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014204000/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?7430|archive-date=14 October 2008}}</ref>


* ''[[Melilotus albus]]'' <small>Medik.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus albus]]'' <small>Medik.</small> (white sweet clover)
* ''[[Melilotus altissimus]]'' <small>Thuill.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus altissimus]]'' <small>Thuill.</small> (tall yellow sweet clover)
* ''[[Melilotus dentatus]]'' <small>(Waldst. & Kit.) Pers.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus dentatus]]'' <small>(Waldst. & Kit.) Pers.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus elegans]]'' <small>Salzm. ex Ser.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus elegans]]'' <small>Salzm. ex Ser.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus hirsutus]]'' <small>Lipsky</small>
* ''[[Melilotus hirsutus]]'' <small>Lipsky</small>
* ''[[Melilotus indicus]]'' <small>(L.) All.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus indicus]]'' <small>(L.) All.</small> (annual yellow sweet clover, Indian sweet clover)
* ''[[Melilotus infestus]]'' <small>Guss.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus infestus]]'' <small>Guss.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus italicus]]'' <small>(L.) Lam.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus italicus]]'' <small>(L.) Lam.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus macrocarpus]]'' <small>Coss. & Durieu</small>
* ''[[Melilotus macrocarpus]]'' <small>Coss. & Durieu</small>
* ''[[Melilotus officinalis]]'' <small>(L.) Lam.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus officinalis]]'' <small>(L.) Pall.</small> (yellow sweet clover)
* ''[[Melilotus polonicus]]'' <small>(L.) Desr.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus polonicus]]'' <small>(L.) Desr.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus segetalis]]'' <small>(Brot.) Ser.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus segetalis]]'' <small>(Brot.) Ser.</small>
Line 54: Line 53:
* ''[[Melilotus spicatus]]'' <small>(Sm.) Breistr.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus spicatus]]'' <small>(Sm.) Breistr.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus suaveolens]]'' <small>Ledeb.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus suaveolens]]'' <small>Ledeb.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus sulcatus]]'' <small>Desf.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus sulcatus]]'' <small>Desf.</small> (Mediterranean sweet clover)
* ''[[Melilotus tauricus]]'' <small>(M. Bieb.) Ser.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus tauricus]]'' <small>(M. Bieb.) Ser.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus wolgicus]]'' <small>Poir.</small>
* ''[[Melilotus wolgicus]]'' <small>Poir.</small> (Volga sweet clover, Russian sweet clover)


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q161142}}
⚫
[[Category:Faboideae]]
{{Authority control}}

⚫
[[Category:Fabaceae genera]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Nitrogen-fixing crops]]
[[Category:Nitrogen-fixing crops]]
⚫
[[Category:Trifolieae]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Philip Miller]]

Latest revision as of 18:18, 22 September 2024

This article is about the genus of grassland plants. For the moshav, see Mlilot.

Melilotus
Melilotus officinalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Trifolieae
Genus: Melilotus
Mill.[1]
Type species
Melilotus officinalis
(L.) Lam.
Species

See text

Synonyms

Brachylobus Dulac (1867)[2]
Melilothus Homem. (1819)[2]
Meliloti Medik. (1787)[2]
Meliotus Steud. (1841)[2]
Sertula O. Ktze. (1891)[2]

Melilotus albus

Melilotus, known as melilot, sweet clover, and kumoniga (from the Cumans),[3] is a genus in the family Fabaceae (the same family that also includes the Trifolium clovers). Members are known as common grassland plants and as weeds of cultivated ground. Originally from Europe and Asia, it is now found worldwide.

This legume is commonly named for its sweet smell, which is due to the presence of coumarin in its tissues. Coumarin, though responsible for the sweet smell of hay and newly mowed grass, has a bitter taste, and, as such, possibly acts as a means for the plant to discourage consumption by animals.[4] Fungi (including Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Mucor[5]) can convert coumarin into dicoumarol, a toxic anticoagulant. Consequently, dicoumarol may be found in decaying sweet-clover, and was the cause of the so-called sweet-clover disease, recognized in cattle in the 1920s.[6] A few varieties of sweet clover have been developed with low coumarin content and are safer for forage and silage.[7]

The name sweet clover varies orthographically (sweet-clover, sweetclover).

Uses

[edit]

Melilotus species are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, such as those of the genus Coleophora, including C. frischella and C. trifolii.

Melilotus, often used as a green manure, can be turned into the soil to increase its nitrogen and organic matter content. It is especially valuable in heavy soils because of its deep rooting. However, it may fail if the soil is too acidic. It should be turned into the soil when 8 to 10 inches tall. Unscarified seed is best sown in spring when the ground is not too dry; scarified seed is better sown in late fall or even in the snow, so it will germinate before competing weeds the following spring.[8]

Melilotus siculus (messina) is notable for its high combined tolerance to salinity and water logging. As of 2019, the "Neptune" variety has the highest tolerance and persistence under salinity among all pasture legumes, according to the Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. The salt-tolerant symbioant Ensifer medicae SRDI554 is recommended.[9]

Others

[edit]

Blue melilot (Trigonella caerulea) is not a member of the genus, despite the name.

Species

[edit]

The genus Melilotus currently has nineteen recognized species:[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Melilotus Mill. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e Woodgate, Katherine; Maxted, Nigel; Bennett, Sarita Jane (1996). Bennett, Sarita Jane; Cocks, Philip Stanley (eds.). Genetic resources of Mediterranean pasture and forage legumes. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture. Vol. 33. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-7923-5522-9.
  3. ^ Bulgarian Folk Customs, Mercia MacDermott, pg 27
  4. ^ "Phytochemicals.info:Coumarin". Archived from the original on September 27, 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Edwards WC, Burrows GE, Tyr RJ: 1984, Toxic plants of Oklahoma:clovers. Okla Vet Med Assoc 36:30-32.
  6. ^ Behzad Yamini; Robert H. Poppenga; W. Emmett Braselton Jr.; Lawrence J. Judge (1995). "Dicoumarol (moldy sweet clover) toxicosis in a group of Holstein calves". J Vet Diagn Invest. 7 (3): 420–422. doi:10.1177/104063879500700328. PMID 7578469.
  7. ^ Christina Curell (July 2, 2013). "Sweet clovers: What is the difference between yellow sweet clover and white sweet clover?". Michigan State University. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  8. ^ Five Acres and Independence by M.G. Kains. 1973.
  9. ^ "Neptune messina – a new pasture legume for saline soils prone to waterlogging". www.agric.wa.gov.au.
  10. ^ "Species Nomenclature in GRIN". Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
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