Red
Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Table of Contents
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 01) This is a photo of a typical field of red
clover. Note the chevron pattern in the three palmate leaves (most evident in the
lower right of the photo), which is a characteristic of this species of clover. Also
blooming in this field are white clover (top of photo) and a yellow birdsfoot trefoil
(lower left of the photo).
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 02) At first glance, the bloom of the
red clover may look like a single flower; but it is really a cluster of many tiny flowers,
each projecting out from the center about 3/8 of an inch. Though one might suspect
that clovers are members of the Composite family, they are really members of the Pea
family (Leguminosae). There are approximately 75 species of clover in the United
States, but only about 20 are found in the East.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 02a) In this photo (enlarged more than
15 times) we can see the detail of some of the individual tubular shaped flowers that make
up the cluster bloom of the red clover. I find it hard to understand how anyone
could look upon the detail, the complexity, and the beauty of this common wildflower, and
fail to see upon it the signature of God.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 03) The Native Americans used the
leaves of the red clover in salads, soups, and stews; and the early European settlers used
the dried flowers to make a tea that was thought to be good for boils and other skin
eruptions. Note that the stems of the red clover are "fuzzy". The
white foamy substance (upper right of the photo) was deposited by a spittle bug larva.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 04) In this photo of a red clover
bloom, some of the individual flowers are unopened. The literature says that
red clover bloom from May through September, but we have seen them bloom as late as
November, or until the first hard frost.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - 05) This red clover and its white
clover cousin join together with their neighbor, a birdsfoot trefoil, to form one of
nature's beautiful living bouquets.
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