Common name: Indian Sweet Clover, Yellow sweet clover, Small Melilot • Hindi: बन मेथी Ban methi, Morila, Senji methi • Marathi: रान मेथी Ran methi • Bengali: বন মেথী Ban methi • Assamese: বন মেথী Ban Methi • Sanskrit: वनमेथिका Vanamethika
Botanical name: Melilotus indica Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)
Synonyms: Trifolium indicum, Melilotus parviflorus
Indian Sweet Clover is an annual herb with hairless stem, spreading or erect,
10-60 cm. The flowers and leaves have a mild perfume scented fragrance, hence
the common name. Leaves are odd-1-pinnate; leaflets 1-2.5 cm, inverted lance-shaped
to wedge-shaped-obovate, generally sharply toothed on the broader part.
Yellow flowers appear in slender, compact racemes that are 1-2 inches in
length. Flowers have a 1-1.5 mm long sepal cup, and are 2.5-3 mm long, yellow
in color. Nine filaments are fused, 1 free. Flowering: January-March.
Identification credit: Amit Kotia
|
ative