Common name:
Red clover
Family:
Scientific name:
Trifolium pratense
Main flower color:
Range:
All the western and Great Plains states (non-native); not in desert areas
Height:
Up to 3 feet, usually 1 to 2 feet
Habitat:
Fields, roadsides, streambanks, waste ground, forest margins
Leaves:
Compound - three segments, each 1 to 2.5 inches long. Dark green, with a faint, irregular, lighter green crescent towards the tip
Season:
June to August
Trifolium pratense originates in Europe and Asia but is long established in the Americas. The plant produces small but densely-packed, egg-shaped clusters of thin, elongated, tubular florets, numbering up to 200, with the cluster about 1.5 inches in diameter. Individual flowers are usually colored light pink, darker at the tip, but can sometimes be nearly white.
The three-pronged leaves grow all along the stems, including right beneath the flowers; those towards the base have long stalks, while the leaf margins are finely hairy (ciliate). Leaves have a distinctive lighter patch towards the tip. Fruits are small pods containing only one or two seeds. The plant is common all across the West, in most environments except deserts and high mountains.
The three-pronged leaves grow all along the stems, including right beneath the flowers; those towards the base have long stalks, while the leaf margins are finely hairy (ciliate). Leaves have a distinctive lighter patch towards the tip. Fruits are small pods containing only one or two seeds. The plant is common all across the West, in most environments except deserts and high mountains.
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