Melilotus sulcatus

Μελιλωτός ο αυλακώδης

Etymology of Melilotus sulcatus: The name of the genus, "Melilotus", derives from the Ancient Greek name"μελίλωτον" [meliloton], from "μέλι" meaning "honey" and "λωτός" meaning "lotus (plant)", because of its similarity to a lotus plant having the scent of honey. The species name, "sulcatus", comes from Latin and means "furrowed", referring to the appearance of the fruit.

There are 7 Melilotus taxa in Cyprus, and the best way to distinguish one from the other is their fruit (seed).

Melilotus sulcatus appears all around Cyprus up except for the northwestern part and the altitudes exceeding 1150 metres. Its flowering period is between February and June.

How to identify Melilotus sulcatus:

The key to the identification of the Melilotus taxa is primarily their fruit, and secondarily their leaves. Sulcatus has similar fruit to elegans, but sulcatus's leaflets are oblong and elegans's leaflets are ovoid, almost rounded.