Trifolium repens (White Clover)

Trifolium repens

Trifolium repens L.

Trifolium repens L. var. atropurpureum hort.

White Clover

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Trifolium	“Three-leaved,” for the 3-leaf clusters
Species	repens

About plant names...

White clover is native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It has been introduced to many other places as a pasture crop, including North America, where it is now abundant. White clovers are common in lawns. If you are battling them as weeds, you might want to reconsider, since they and other clovers trap nitrogen from the air, converting it to fertilizer. Clovers help lawns stay healthy.

Here is a comparison among red, white, alsike, and crimson clovers:

6/14/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

	*Trifolium pratense*	You are here Trifolium repens	*Trifolium hybridum*
Name	Pink Clover	White Clover	Alsike Clover
Plant	8-31" (20-80 cm) tall, multiply branched, stems sometimes purplish and sometimes hairy	Plant stems are 4-16" (10-40 cm) long, but often lying on their sides, so these clovers are usually close to the ground	12-24" (30-60 cm) tall, typically somewhat smaller than red clover and larger than white clover. It has multiple hairless, fairly flexible stems
Flowers	Pink to rose (rarely white), flowerheads are about ¾" (1.9 cm) around	On flower stalks 1-4" (2.5-10 cm) long. Flowerheads are ½-1¼" (1.3-3.2 cm) around, rounded, white, sometimes pinkish	½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) around, and may be pink on the bottom, grading to white on the top; or pink throughout. The shade of pink is lighter than with red clover
Leaves	In 3-leaf clusters, leaflets ⅜-2½" (1-7 cm) long × ⅜-1½" (1-4 cm), with a distinctive pale green crescent or “V” on the outer half of the leaf; roundish to an elongated oval	In groups of 3. Leaflets are oval, ½-1¼" (1.3-3.2 cm) long, with a slight indentation at the end. Each leaflet has a pale green “V” close to the base and slightly toothed leaf edges	In groups of three, each about ¾" (2 cm) long, and attached directly to the stem that supports the leaf cluster. Leaves are oval-shaped, with smooth-appearing edges that have tiny teeth, and no chevrons
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3a-8b
Habitats	Waste ground, disturbed sites, fields, roadsides, railroads	Waste ground, pastures, open fields, roadsides, railroads	Moist meadows near woodlands, pastures, abandoned fields, and roadsides
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Very common	Very common	Common, but less so than red and white clovers

	*Trifolium incarnatum*
Name	Crimson Clover
Plant	20" (50 cm) high.
Flowers	Deep red, forming rounded conical flowerheads about 1" (2.5 cm) tall and ⅝" (1.7 cm) around. Flowering occurs during April to May.
Leaves	Leaves are round or oval, in groups of three, each roughly at right angles to the others.
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild

Identification: Plant stems are 4-16" (10-40 cm) long, but often lying on their sides, so these clovers are usually close to the ground. Leaves are in groups of 3 as with all clovers. Leaflets are oval, ½-1¼" (1.3-3.2 cm) long, with a slight indentation at the end. Each leaflet bears a pale green “V” close to the base, and slightly toothed leaf edges. Flowers are on stalks 1-4" (2.5-10 cm) long. Flowerheads are ½-1¼" (1.3-3.2 cm) around, and rounded. Flowers are usually white, but may be quite pink.

Online References:

Trifolium repens in Paghat's Garden

Trifolium repens on Missouriplants.com

Trifolium repens on Wikipedia

Trifolium repens on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Trifolium repens at Illinois Wildflowers

Trifolium repens on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Trifolium repens on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Trifolium repens on Montana Plant Life

Trifolium repens on CalPhotos

Trifolium repens on eFloras