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Description

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a familiar meadow herb, one of 250 species in the Leguminosae, or pea family. The Irish shamrock is another species in this family of plants. Red clover is a European native naturalized throughout North America and Canada. This familiar short-lived perennial grows wild along roadsides, in meadows, and in fields, and is extensively cultivated as a forage crop for cattle. It grows best in soils that are rich in calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. The common names for this sweet herb include wild clover, meadow trefoil, bee bread, trefoil, cow grass, purple clover, and three-leafed grass.

Red clover grows to about 2 ft (61 cm) high from a short, woody rootstock. The leaves are palmate and arranged alternately along the round, grooved, and hairy stem. They are divided into three oblong or oval...