Melilotus indicus

Sourclover, Sourclover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Sourclover is a naturalized annual herb found throughout California, particularly in southern regions, in open and disturbed areas at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces small yellow flowers in slender, compact clusters about 1 to 2 centimeters long. Growing with spreading or erect stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall, it has a nearly smooth appearance. Its leaves feature oblanceolate to wedge-shaped leaflets 1 to 2.5 centimeters long with sharply toothed edges, typically light green in color. The small fruit is 2 to 3 millimeters long with a bumpy or faintly lined surface.

Habitat: Open, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Apr-Oct

Elevation: < 1700 m

Bioregions: CA, more common s

California counties: Riverside, Los Angeles, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Bernardino, Inyo, Tulare, Imperial, Fresno, Sonoma, San Joaquin, Butte, Lake, San Mateo, Glenn, Monterey, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Napa, Colusa, San Francisco, Siskiyou, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Tuolumne, Merced, Yolo, Sutter, Amador, Marin, Sacramento, Placer, Solano, Alameda, San Benito, Tehama, Lassen, Mendocino, Calaveras, Shasta, Stanislaus, Modoc, Madera, Mariposa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.