Trifolium repens
L.
White clover, Dutch clover, Shamrock
(c) Tom Grant (aka Sthiramani), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) Hornbeam Arts, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Norton
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Shoots - tea, Seeds, Pods, Root, Leaves
Young leaves are best harvested before flowering and can be eaten raw or cooked as a potherb, used in salads, soups, or cooked like spinach. Flowers and seed pods, dried and ground into a flour, are considered very wholesome and nutritious; the powder can also be sprinkled over cooked foods such as boiled rice. Young flowers are good raw in salads. The root is edible when cooked. Dried leaves impart a vanilla flavour to cakes and baked goods, and dried flowering heads can be used as a tea substitute.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It does best in heavy, clay soils. It needs an open, sunny position. It suits high rainfall areas. It is resistant to frost. It suits hardiness zones 4-10. Tasmania Herbarium. In Yunnan.
Afghanistan, Africa, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Easter Island, Eurasia, Europe*, Falklands, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lord Howe Island, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, North America, Pakistan, Portugal, North Africa, North America, Norway, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Siberia, Sikkim, Slovenia, South America, Spain, St Helena, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay, USA, Vietnam, West Indies, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A creeping or erect herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 20 cm high. The stems are creeping and hairless and root at the nodes. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets can be oval or heart shaped. They have a dent in at the ends. They are hairless. They are on long stalks and usually have a white band. The flowers are white and in a round head. It is on a stalk that is longer than the leaves. The pods are narrowly oblong. They are 4-5 mm long. There are 2-5 seeds.
How to Grow
Succeeds in a moist, well-drained circum-neutral soil in full sun, preferring a sweet calcareous clay soil. Succeeds in poor soils. A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species it is also a good bee plant. A good companion plant in the lawn, tolerating trampling, but it dislikes growing with henbane or members of the buttercup family. It grows well in an apple orchard, the trees will produce tastier fruit that stores better. It should not be grown with camellias or gooseberries because it harbours a mite that can cause fruit drop in the gooseberries and premature budding in the camellias. Polymorphic, there are many subspecies and varieties. Some varieties have also been selected for use in lawn mixes. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. Buttercups growing nearby depress the growth of the nitrogen bacteria by means of a root exudate.
Propagation: Pre-soak seed for 12 hours in warm water, then sow in spring in situ. If seed is scarce, sow in pots in a cold frame instead. Prick seedlings out into individual pots when large enough to handle, and plant out in late spring. Can also be propagated by division in spring.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is antirheumatic, antiscrofulous, depurative, detergent, and tonic. An infusion has been used to treat coughs, colds, fevers, and leucorrhoea. A tincture of the leaves is applied as an ointment for gout, and an infusion of the flowers has been used as an eyewash.
Other Uses
Makes a good green manure, especially useful for over-wintering in mixtures with Lolium perenne, and produces good bulk. It hosts clover rot, however, so should not be used too frequently. Can be undersown with cereals or grown with tomatoes in a greenhouse by sowing before transplanting the tomatoes. Fairly deep-rooting though not especially fast-growing. Works well as a fast ground-cover plant in a sunny position and serves as a nectary. Acts as a dynamic accumulator, drawing minerals and nutrients from the soil into a more bioavailable form for use as fertilizer or mulch.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Trifolium repens, the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and central Asia and is one of the most widely cultivated types of clover. It has been widely introduced worldwide as a forage crop, and is now also common in most grassy areas (lawns and gardens) of North America, Australia and New Zealand. The species includes varieties often classed as small, intermediate and large, according to height, which reflects petiole length. The term 'white clover' is applied to the species in general, 'Dutch clover' is often applied to intermediate varieties (but sometimes to smaller varieties), and 'ladino clover' is applied to large varieties.
Other Information
It is sold in local markets. It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 240 Trifolium species. They are mostly temperate.
Names & Synonyms
Baltais abolins, Bijela djetelina, Che-ba- bo, Dhungri jhar, Ereqnuk, Kvitklover, Lohere, Shautal, Shotal, Shotaleo, Teen patey, Tokkipul, Trebol amargo, Trebol blanco, Trebol rastrero, Trevo-branco
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