Melilotus albus
| Melilotus albus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Melilotus albus (common name: white melilot)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring to mid-summer in situ[1]. Pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in warm water will speed up the germination process, particularly in dry weather[K]. Germination will usually take place within 2 weeks.
Cultivation: A fast growing plant[1], it dislikes shade.
The dried plant has a sweet smell of newly mown hay[4].
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[5].
Range: Europe to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Fields and waste places on dry, not acid soils[6].
Edibility: Leaves and seedpods - cooked as a 'bean soup'[7][8][9].
The pea-like seeds are used as a seasoning for bean and split-pea soups[10].
Young shoots - raw or cooked[7][9]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[10]. Only fresh shoots should be used[11], the dried leaves contain coumarin[12].
Flowers - raw or cooked[9]. Used as a vanilla-like flavouring[13][10].
The dried leaves are said to be used as a vanilla flavouring[9] but this is probably unwise, see notes at top of the page.
Medicinal: The whole herb, harvested when in flower, is aromatic, carminative and emollient[2]. It was at one time widely esteemed as a medicinal herb, though it has fallen from favour in recent times[2].
The dried leaves contain coumarin, this can be used as an anticlotting agent for the blood[12].
The dried flowering plant has been used in ointments for external ulcers[14].
Usage: An oil obtained from the seed is used in paints, varnishes etc[15].
The dried leaves smell of new-mown hay and are used as an insect repellent[9]. 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'[12].
The plant is a good green manure crop[16][1][9]. 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[1]. Fast growing, it produces a high bulk of organic material and also fixes a large quantity of atmospheric nitrogen[1]. It can also be grown under soft and top fruit, when it will expel mice[17].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Dried leaves can be toxic though the fresh leaves are quite safe[18]. This is due to the presence of coumarin, the substance that gives some dried plants the smell of new mown hay. Taken internally it can prevent the blood from clotting[12].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Woodward, L and P Burge. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre, 1982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.