Red clover Trifolium pratense
Table of Contents
Red clover is a familiar plant belonging to the legume family. It has distinct red flowers that are attractive to many types of bees and butterflies that come to feed on it’s valuable source of nectar.
Plant family: Fabaceae
Aliases: Purple clover, bee bread, purplewort
Flowering period: May – October
Flower colour: Deep pink
Preferred soil type: Most types
Habitat: Grassland, meadows, roadside verges
Status: Common
General information
Native to Europe, Asia and Africa, red clover is a herbaceous, short-lived perennial wildflower that’s a member of the pea family (Fabaceae). This robust plant thrives in grassy habitats, such as meadows, roadside verges and garden lawns and grows anywhere between 20 – 80cm high.
Although it’s not as common as white clover, it’s still a familiar plant and like its white cousin it’s grown as a fodder plant and used in crop rotation systems as it’s able to fix nitrogen, enriching the soil without the need for fertiliser. Red clover isn’t fussy about what type of soil it grows on, adapting to most types, but it prefers sights that receive ample sunlight.
Identification
Flowers: The flower heads are pinkish-red to purple, consisting of numerous tiny ‘pea like’ flowers, borne on un-stalked heads, between 20 – 30mm in diameter.
Leaves: The leaves are typical of most clover/trefoil type plants, they’re alternate and trifoliate (three leaflets), with each leaflet measuring between 15 – 30mm long. A feature a red clover is a characteristic pale crescent marking on the leaflets.
Value for wildlife
Red clover produces a rich source of nectar and is a favourite of many types of bumble bee, honey bee and butterflies. It’s also used as a fodder crop for livestock.
Uses for red clover
The leaves (when young and tender) can be picked prior to the plat flowering and used as an ingredient in salads, soups and sandwiches. Used on their own they can be cooked (they have a vanilla like flavour) or used as a vegetable. The dried leaves can be ground to make flour.
The flower heads can be used as a garnish for salads, to make tea and can be made into a flour.
As red clover is a rich source of vitamins it has various medicinal uses. These include the treatment of menopause & menstrual symptoms, asthma, whooping cough, skin disorders, arthritis, and even cancer.
Red clover images
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