Field guide plate · click to zoom
plus sweet clover
Melilotus officinalis
Honey bees avidly visit yellow sweet clover for its abundant, high-sugar nectar, supporting major honey flows with yields up to 200 pounds per colony during peak bloom from June to September. It also supplies nutritious pollen collected in yellow loads. As a biennial legume, it fixes nitrogen but can become invasive in grasslands, shading out natives and requiring management in beekeeping landscapes.
| Nectar | high |
|---|---|
| Pollen | high |
| Bloom | June–September |
| USDA zones | 2-9 |
| Type | Perennial |
| Sun | full |
| Native | Eurasia — naturalized in North America |