Flower profile

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced in the lower 48

Yellow sweetclover is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 12 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–September.

50states

12of our state lists

28,739U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

Quick look

Melilotus officinalis, known as sweet yellow clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot and common melilot, is a species of legume native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, Africa, and Australia.
From Wikipedia's article Melilotus officinalis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 50 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–October. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–October. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 3,536 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #37 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,385 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #31 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 887 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #62 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

Yellow sweetclover gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,606 records)

Bloom time in each of our 12 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Introduced	May–October	3,536
Utah	Introduced	May–October	1,385
New Mexico	Introduced	May–October	887
Montana	Introduced	June–September	853
Kansas	Introduced	May–June	770
Wyoming	Introduced	June–September	740
Oklahoma	Introduced	April–June	651
Idaho	Introduced	May–October	628
South Dakota	Introduced	June–September	623
Iowa	Introduced	May–July	481
North Dakota	Introduced	June–September	481
Nebraska	Introduced	few records	414

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Utah.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Montana.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Kansas.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Wyoming.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Oklahoma.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Idaho.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in South Dakota.
Iowa: Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Iowa. ^{IAC 571-77.3}
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in North Dakota.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleToxic (moderate, per USDA)

USDA PLANTS rates its toxicity as “moderate.” (USDA's rating covers people and livestock and doesn't say which parts.) ^{USDA PLANTS}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records yellow sweetclover in 50 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Boulder, Cheyenne, Custer, Delta, El Paso, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kit Carson, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Guadalupe, Harding, Lincoln, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

More Colorado flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: March–September

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–October

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MEOF.
iNaturalist, Melilotus officinalis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Melilotus officinalis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
Iowa: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3).
Iowa: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Melilotus officinalis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: USDA PLANTS.
Photo: Lexi Destria via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.