Melilotus is a biennial herbaceous plant that forms a non-flowering stem in its first year of life. During the cold season, this stem dies off, but the root remains with a small number of buds located at the top of the root neck. With the arrival of warmth, the buds begin to develop and sprout, forming new stems that will then flower and bear fruit. Melilotus has a powerful root system, a straight and branched stem reaching 1–1.5 meters in height.
Melilotus leaves are trifoliate, like clover, except for the first leaf, which has an elliptical shape. The flowers are small, yellow, drooping, and gathered in racemes ranging from 10 to 15 cm in length. They are located on short peduncles and flower from early to late summer.
The white Melilotus (Melilotus albus) variety is characterized by a straight, coarse stem, about 145–170 cm in height, medium bushiness, and light green trifoliate leaves. The inflorescences are loose axillary racemes of straw-yellow color, and the fruits are elliptical pods with a short pointed tip. Melilotus is widely used as a forage crop due to its high yield of green mass (145–185 c/ha) and seeds (3.7–4.5 c/ha).
