Trifolium variegatum
Nutt.
Whitetip clover
(c) Evan Sedlock, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Evan Sedlock
(c) subhashc, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Steve Matson
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves
Both leaves and flowers are edible. Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked as greens. Flowers are eaten raw and have a sweet flavor.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Canada, North America, USA,
How to Identify
Variegated clover is an annual herb reaching 1 meter tall. It thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage and tolerates poor soil nutrition. The plant prefers mildly acidic to basic soil conditions and requires full sun and consistently moist soil. Hermaphroditic flowers attract insects and the plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in a moist, well-drained circum-neutral soil in full sun. Succeeds in poor soils. 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. 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. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Propagation: Soak seeds in warm water for 12 hours before sowing directly in spring. For limited seed supplies, sow in pots in a cold frame, then prick seedlings into individual pots and transplant outdoors in late spring.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
Nitrogen-fixing plant suitable for soil improvement.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Variegated clover is an annual herb reaching 1 meter tall. It thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage and tolerates poor soil nutrition. The plant prefers mildly acidic to basic soil conditions and requires full sun and consistently moist soil. Hermaphroditic flowers attract insects and the plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen.
Notes
There are about 240 Trifolium species. They are mostly temperate.
References (4)
- Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
- Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 567
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- J. Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1:317. 1838
