Clover (Brief Profile)
(Trifolium varieties in the Leguminosae or pea family)

For more information and links, go to the main clover page.

Pictures and more information coming soon!

Identification

• Clovers (of the Trifolium genus) are common weeds
• There are about 250 varieties of true clovers, many of which have similar uses; this page is about red clover
• red clover is either a biennial or a perennial that lives two or three years
• grows in fields and open spaces across the area
• grows to 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm)
• red clover has slightly fuzzy leaves made up of three round teardrop- or eye-shaped leaflets in the familiar cloverleaf shape
• each leaflet has a pale green mark shaped like a chevron or shark's tooth, pointing outward, and very fine teeth
• flowers bloom from April or May through September; they are ball-shaped and compact, and made up of many pointed pinkish florets

  Uses

• the young, tender leaves and flowerheads are edible; the leaves taste bland, the florets may taste faintly of nectar, but both are high-fiber and hard to digest
• when soaked in salty water or boiled 5 to 10 minutes, they can be eaten in larger amounts; see also the warnings below
• the dried and ground seeds and flowerheads may be used as a nutritious flour
• the dried flowerheads may be mixed with tea
• the flowerheads can also be fried in batter to make fritters
• though rich in protein and fiber, clovers are not the best wild foods available
• red clover has been thought to have many medicinal properties; most traditional uses have not been proven effective by science
• Warning: late-season red clover may be poisonous to cattle, and diseased red clover, which may or may not have black spots on the leaves, is poisonous to humans
• true clovers may be confused with several similar-looking plants: sweet-clovers (Melitotus varieties), black medic (Medicago lupulina), and wood-sorrels (Oxalis varieties)
• clover has been planted as a rotation crop and as animal feed
• four-leaf clovers are traditionally said to bring luck

  For more information and links, go to the main clover page.

  The information in these pages is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but I make no guarantees about its accuracy, nor do I take responsibility for any damage or injury caused by use or misuse of this information.

  Much of this information comes from A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America by Stephen Foster and James A. Duke (Peterson Field Guides); A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants : Eastern and Central North America by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson (Peterson Field Guides); the World Book Encyclopedia; and Moonwatcher.