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Trifolium
Also called Clovers, Trefoils
Clovers are small annual, biennial or short-lived perennial herbs in the pea family, with three-leaflet leaves, grown mainly as forage and cover crops that fix nitrogen in the soil. Care below reflects common garden and pasture clovers, such as white and red clover.
Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus Trifolium (from Latin tres 'three' and folium 'leaf'). They are herbaceous plants growing up to 30 cm (12 in) tall. The leaves are usually trifoliate and the small flowers are reddish to white or yellow. Related genera with similar common names include Melilotus (sweet clover) and Medicago (burclover).
The genus consists of about 300 species in the legume family, Fabaceae. Originating in Europe, the genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. A number of wild and domestic animals consume the plants. Clovers have been cultivated by humans for over 1,000 years, valued for their nitrogen fixation, which fertilizes the soil and bolsters the productivity of rotated crops.
Originating in Europe, the genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversity in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics.
It is edible by humans, although red clover contains phytoestrogens that may carry risks during pregnancy. The plant is a traditional Native American food, which is eaten both raw and after drying and smoking the roots. The seeds from the blossoms are used to make bread. It is also possible to make tea from the blossoms.
Owl-head clover · Kura clover · Showy Indian clover · Narrowleaf crimson clover · Golden clover · Brown clover · Southern clover · Foothill clover · Strawberry clover · Clustered clover · Rose clover · Alsike clover
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Clover by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
