| DESCRIPTION: Erect or ascending legume, up to 1.5 m, with trifoliate leaves. Leaflets obovate. Deeply tap-rooted. Inflorescences are elongated one-sided racemes of white flowers, 4-5 mm, borne on long axillary stalks. USE: Suitable for conservation but the stands are mainly grazed. Hay yields up to 7-8 t/ha achievable. Also used as green manure and cover crop. GROWING PERIOD: Biennial growing spring to autumn. COMMON NAMES: Synonym: M. alba. White sweetclover, white melilot, Bokhara clover. FURTHER INF: Indigenous to central Europe and north-west Asia. Introduced to many other temperate regions but mainly used in North America. Found in fields and waste places. Adapted to a wide range of alkaline and saline soils. Intolerant of shade. Winter hardy and drought tolerant. |