Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

RED CLOVER

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Trifolium pratense L.

Lincoln County, Kansas

Biennial or short-lived perennial

Height: 6-36 inches

Family: Fabaceae - Bean Family

Flowering Period: May, June, July, August, September

Stems:

Decumbent or erect, several to many, branched, nearly glabrous or hairy.

Leaves:

Alternate, long-stalked below, sessile above, palmately 3-foliolate; leaflets egg-shaped or elliptic, .75 to 2.5 long, .5 to 1.5 inch wide, soft-hairy, upper surface with pale V-shaped spot; margins finely toothed or entire; tips sometimes notched.

Inflorescences:

Heads, dense, spherical, sessile or short-stalked, 25-80-flowered, terminal.

Flowers:

Calyces 5-toothed, glabrous to sparsely hairy; corollas papilionaceous, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, pink to reddish purple; banner longer than wings and keel; stamens 10, 9 united, 1 free.

Fruits:

Pods, egg-shaped; seeds 1-2, small, brownish.

Habitat:

Cultivated fields, pastures, waste places, and roadsides, most abundant in heavy, fertile, well-drained soils.

Distribution:

Principally east 1/3, scattered occurrence westward in Kansas.

Origin:

Red clover was introduced from Europe 200 years ago and now is widespread in the U.S.

Forage Value:

Livestock relish it, but over-consumption can cause bloat and diarrhea.

Uses:

Produces good quality hay and pasture, and is used in crop rotations and for soil improvement.