MEL'ILOT, MEt.u.oTt•s (Neo-Lat.. from OF. melilat. Fr. mt:/1/01, from La t, oic/i/o/o8, from Ilk. pe2i2.07oe, mc/i/eito.c. peZa(drov. me/i/Mon, a kind of clover. from ei?.t, mcli, hones' -4- 16tos. lotus). A genus of plants of the order Le?mminos,e, natives of the Old World and wide ly disseminated. The species have upright stems. bear trifoliate leaves resembling those of alfalfa. and small white or yellow flowers from early summer until frost. They often take possession of waste ground. especially if composed largely of clay. All the species contain ethereal 110 known as cumarin. which gives them a strong. peculiar. sweetish eulor, 'specially when drying. The white fuelilot (llelilolces alba), also known as sweet. Bukhara, or tree clover, is a common weedy biennial from three to six feet high, is cultivated as a honey plant. and also to some extent for forage. For plowing under as green manure it is of importance. especially upon heavy soil. Its roots perforate the substratum, and when they decay leave drainage tubes. In this way it may he used two or more years before being turned under as green manure. Another
species which has become naturalized in the United States is the common yellow melilot (.I/c/iiotus officino/is), an ,tnnual growing two to three feet high and occurring in swamps and wet meadows. Its flowers are used in the manu facture of perfumery. The blue melilot (itch/ lotus ea rulea or Trigonclla ecerulca), a native of Northern Africa. is cultivated in Europe, and was formerly much used in medicine as an anodyne.
lilotus is useful for pasturage and for hay. The green crop, cut when in bloom, has the fol lowing average percentage composition; water. 76.5; protein, 2.8; fat, 0.4; nitrogen-free ex tract, 12.1; crude fibre, 6.6; and ash, 1.6. .Nlelilotns must he cured with care. as too much sun causes shedding of the leaves. At first ani mals commonly refuse to eat it, but later relish it; its hay is especially valuable for home eon sumption. It has not been found as salable as some other kinds of leguminous hay.