Melilotus albus
Medik.
White Melilot
(c) Steve Chilton, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) Anton Gjeldum, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Anton Gjeldum
(c) Sarah Gregg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Sarah Gregg
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves, Oil, Seed, Seedpod, Shoots
Oil. Leaves and seedpods - cooked as a 'bean soup'. The pea-like seeds are used as a seasoning for bean and split-pea soups. Young shoots - raw or cooked. Added to salads or used as a potherb. Only fresh shoots should be used, the dried leaves contain coumarin. Flowers - raw or cooked. Used as a vanilla-like flavouring. The dried leaves are said to be used as a vanilla flavouring but this is probably unwise, see notes at top of the page.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
Europe to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
TEMPERATE ASIA: Oman, Saudi Arabia (as M. alba Medic.), Yemen, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Dagestan), Russian Federation-Western Siberia (Western Siberia), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China TROPICAL ASIA: Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Myanmar EUROPE: Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russian Federation (European part), Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine (incl. Krym), Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, France (incl. Corsica) AFRICA: Egypt (north), Libya (north)
How to Identify
Melilotus albus is a ANNUAL/BIENNIAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft) at a fast rate. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. It can fix Nitrogen. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
How to Grow
A fast growing plant, it dislikes shade. A good bee plant. The dried plant has a sweet smell of newly mown hay. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagation: Seed - sow spring to mid-summer in situ. Pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in warm water will speed up the germination process, particularly in dry weather. Germination will usually take place within 2 weeks.
Medicinal Uses
Anticoagulant Aromatic Carminative Emollient Poultice. The whole herb, harvested when in flower, is aromatic, carminative and emollient. It was at one time widely esteemed as a medicinal herb, though it has fallen from favour in recent times. The dried leaves contain coumarin, this can be used as an anticlotting agent for the blood. The dried flowering plant has been used in ointments for external ulcers.
Other Uses
Green manure Oil RepellentAn oil obtained from the seed is used in paints, varnishes etc. The dried leaves smell of new-mown hay and are used as an insect repellent. The dried leaves contain a substance called coumarin, this is an anti-clotting agent and has been used as a basis of the rat killer 'warfarin'. The plant is a good green manure crop. It can be sown in the autumn and overwintered or sown from spring to mid summer. It can be cut several times for compost material before being finally incorporated into the soil. Fast growing, it produces a high bulk of organic material and also fixes a large quantity of atmospheric nitrogen. It can also be grown under soft and top fruit, when it will expel mice.
