Melilotus sulcatus, the furrowed melilot
or Mediterranean sweetclover,
is a species of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Melilotus
''Melilotus'', known as melilot, sweet clover, and kumoniga (from the Cumans),Bulgarian Folk Customs, Mercia MacDermott, pg 27 is a genus in the family Fabaceae (the same family that also includes the ''Trifolium'' clovers). Members are known ...
'', belonging to the
pea
The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...
family;
or
Papilionaceae
The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family.
This subfamily is widely ...
.
It is distributed in Southern Europe, an annual plant between 10 and 40 cm high. The stem leaves are grooved. The flowers are very small; 3-5mm.long, in bloom from June until August. The pods are 3–3.5mm. long, with bowline veins.
References
Trifolieae
Taxa named by René Louiche Desfontaines
Flora of Malta
{{Trifolieae-stub