Sweet clover — Yellow

Melilotus officinalis

Yellow-flowered counterpart of white sweet clover with similar habits. Historically used as a wound herb in European folk medicine; same intense vanilla-coumarin scent when dried.

Hardiness ratings

Sweet clover — Yellow hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 3–9 −40 °C to −1.1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 3–9 −34 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–5 −15 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Same coumarin / dicoumarol cautions as white sweet clover — improperly cured hay is hazardous to cattle
  • Dried plant smells of new-mown hay — coumarin is the same compound
  • Always consult a qualified medical or herbal practitioner before using any plant medicinally

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Sweet clover — Yellow against your zones

Reference

Sweet clover — Yellow on Wikipedia