Quick facts
White and yellow sweet clovers (Melitotus alba, M. officinalis) are invasive species.
- White and yellow sweet clover grows abundantly on disturbed lands, roadsides and abandoned fields.
- The plants degrade native grasslands by shading out sun-loving plants, reducing diversity.
White clover (Trifolium repens), also known as Dutch white clover, is a popular plant in bee lawns and is different from this plant.
How to identify white and yellow sweet clover
(Melitotus alba, M. officinalis)
- Biennial herbaceous plants; very fragrant.
- First-year plants do not bloom.
- Second-year plants grow three to eight feet high and are bush-like.
- Yellow sweet clover is usually shorter and blooms earlier than white sweet clover.
Stem
- Green (may have a reddish tinge), grooved and generally hairless.
Leaves
- Alternate, compound in groups of three, finely toothed, ovate, grayish-green leaflets, one inch long and three-tenths inch wide.
- Middle leaflet grows on a short stalk.
Flowers
- Small, white or yellow, floppy and tubular at base; broader toward outer edge.
- Five-petaled flowers are densely crowded at the top two to six inches along a central stem.
- Each flower is attached by a tiny stalk.
- Larger plants can have numerous clusters of flowers.
- Blooms June through August.
Seeds
- One or two small, hard seeds per flower.
- Seeds survive in the soil for 30 years.
Roots
- Strong taproot.
Read more about these clovers and how to report them on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources page.
Reviewed in 2024