Red clover

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Red clover leaves

Red clover

Red clover

Red clover

Red clover

Red clover

Morphology

Stem

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.

Inflorescence

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

Flower

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.

Fruit

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

Ecology

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.

Practical Information

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.

Additional Notes