Description
Botanical Information: White Clover
A low-growing, herbaceous, perennial plant offering small bouquets of white florets. Each cluster of florets can contain up to 85 individual pea-shaped flowers. Belonging to the pea family, Fabaceae, it is an excellent nitrogen-fixing plant, often used as a cover crop in organic pasture management. It can also serve as an alternative to a traditional grass lawn. White clover can handle being cut and trodden on, provides for pollinators, and can tolerate drought better than a lot of typical grass lawn species can.
Irish folklore associates white clover with luck, especially when a four-leaf version is found. This symbol of good luck arises from a rare genetic mutation within the plant, which causes the growth of an extra leaflet. The chance of this happening is around 5000 to 1! It’s is a superb forage crop for livestock and has been historically used as folk medicine against intestinal helminthic worms.
Habitat
White clover will grow in fields, pastures, paths, verges and meadows. It tends to be absent from areas with long grass, but you can often still spot it on the edges of these habitats. It prefers moist, well-drained soil but it will tolerate a range of conditions, including drought.
Benefits to Wildlife
Flowering from spring till autumn, white clover provides a valuable resource for pollinators, including bumblebees and solitary bees. Many invertebrates feed on it, including several beetle and leaf hopper species. It’s is also a valuable food source for the larvae of the common blue butterfly.
Conservation Status in the UK
White clover is a widespread plant across the UK. It is a common sight in multiple habitat types.
Ease of Growing
Simply plant your white clover in an area with good sun exposure and in moist but well-drained soil. Give it a good water when it is first planted to help it on its way. It will begin to creep once it is established, creating mats of its trifoliate leaflets.
More Information
Complementing Species
Spiny Restharrow | Ononis spinosa
Valerian | Valeriana officinalis
Vipers Bugloss | Echium vulgare
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