Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

Trigonella caerulea

Trigonella caerulea is an annual herb in the family Fabaceae. It is 30–60 cm tall. Its leaves are obovate or lance-shaped, 2–5 cm long, 1–2 cm wide and saw-toothed in upper part. Its flower stalks are compact, globular racemes, longer than the leaves. The sepals are twice as short as the corolla, its teeth are equal to the tube. The corolla is 5.5-6.5 mm long and blue. The pods are erect or slightly curved, compressed, 4–5 mm long with beak 2 mm. The seeds are small and elongated. It blossoms in April–May, the seeds ripen in May–June. It is self-pollinated.

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
345 w
Citations
9
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Blue fenugreek
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Trigonella
Species:
T. caerulea
Binomial name
Trigonella caerulea
Trigonella caerulea - MHNT source ↗

Trigonella caerulea (blue fenugreek,23 blue melilot)4 is an annual herb in the family Fabaceae. It is 30–60 cm tall. Its leaves are obovate or lance-shaped, 2–5 cm long, 1–2 cm wide and saw-toothed in upper part. Its flower stalks are compact, globular racemes, longer than the leaves. The sepals are twice as short as the corolla, its teeth are equal to the tube. The corolla is 5.5-6.5 mm long and blue. The pods are erect or slightly curved, compressed, 4–5 mm long with beak 2 mm. The seeds are small and elongated. It blossoms in April–May, the seeds ripen in May–June. It is self-pollinated.5

Use

Blue fenugreek is widely used in Georgian cuisine, where it is known as utskho suneli.4 It is one of the ingredients of the Georgian spice mix khmeli suneli.6 The seeds, the pods and the leaves are used. The smell and taste are similar to ordinary fenugreek, but milder.7 In Switzerland it is used for flavouring the traditional schabziger cheese.8

References

References

  1. "Trigonella caerulea". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  2. NRCS. "Trigonella caerulea". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. "Trigonella caerulea (L.) Ser. "Blue Fenugreek"". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  4. Rodov V.; Vinokur Y.; Gogia N.; Chkhikvishvili I.D. (2010). "Hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant capacities of Georgian spices for meat and their possible health implication" (PDF). Georgian Medical News. 179 (2): 61–66. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2019-12-15.)
  5. AgroAtlas, accessed 29 July 2013.
  6. Darra Goldstein (1999). The Georgian feast: the vibrant culture and savory food of the Republic of Georgia. University of California Press. p. 44. ISBN 0-520-21929-5.
  7. Blue fenugreek, Gernot Katzer's spice dictionary
  8. Kräuter und Gewürze aus heimischem Anbau (in German)
External links