MELILOTUS(L.) Mill. - MELILOT
Scientific Description:
Annual or biennial herbs. Leaves trifoliolate, petiolate, the leaflets toothed; stipules entire or dentate. Inflorescence an elongate raceme, especially so when in fruit. Calyx with five, subequal teeth. Corolla persistent, white (sometimes with purplish tips), or more usually yellow. Fruit ± indehiscent, short, exserted and sculptured, 1–5-seeded. Many species smell strongly of coumarin
Reference:
Chamberlain DF (1970). Melilotus L., In: Davis PH (ed.) Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 3: 448.
Public Description:
Mellilotus is a genus of annual or biennial herbs known as “melilot”, originally from Europe and Asia, it is now found worldwide. There are approximately 22 species in the world and 11 species (11 taxa) in Türkiye. It is known as a "fragrant" plant because it has “coumarin” in its tissues. Melilot, often used as a green manure, can be turned into the soil to increase its nitrogen and organic matter content. It is especially valuable in heavy soils because of its deep rooting.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melilotus/, Accessed date: 12.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/genus/melilotus/, Accessed date: 12.02.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Leguminosae/Melilotus/, Accessed date: 12.02.2016.
Keskin M (2012). Melilotus L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 477–478.
