Red Clover

Appearance

Red clover is a herbaceous, short-lived perennial plant, which is generally variable in size, growing to 20–80 cm tall. It has a deep taproot which makes it tolerant to drought and gives it a good soil structuring effect. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate, each leaflet 15–30 mm long and 8–15 mm broad, green with a characteristic pale crescent in the outer half of the leaf; the petiole is 1–4 cm long, with two basal stipules that are abruptly narrowed to a bristle-like point. The flowers are dark pink with a paler base, 12–15 mm long, produced in a dense inflorescence, and are mostly visited by bumblebees.

Distribution

The red clover is native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but it has been naturalized in other continents, like North and South America. Specifically, the red clover was brought to Argentina and Chile over 100 years ago, although it is not clear how exactly it was introduced. The red clover has become increasingly important as a source of economic stability in Chile, which has made the need for pollinators even more important. One important pollinator, which was also brought from Europe, is "Bombus ruderatus", or the large garden bumblebee. This bumblebee has been one of the important pollinators of red clover in South America and other countries such as New Zealand. In India the highest producer of Red Clover seed is the Agriculture Department of Kashmir's Fodder Seed Production Station Aru, in south Kashmir's Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir. Two red clover accessions were deposited in National Gene Bank of India from Fodder Seed Production Station Aru in 2019 vide IC-635999 and IC-636000 by ICAR.

Uses

It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation, which increases soil fertility. For these reasons, it is used as a green manure crop. Several cultivar groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from "T. pratense" var. "sativum". It has become naturalised in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia as an escape from cultivation.

Due to its beauty, it is used as an ornamental plant. Red clover's flowers and leaves are edible, and can be added as garnishes to any dish. They can be ground into a flour.

The flowers often are used to make jelly and tisanes, and are used in essiac recipes. Their essential oil may be extracted and its unique scent used in aromatherapy.

"Trifolium pratenses perennial nature affords sustained, reliable growth. Furthermore, the species' ability to fix nitrogen promotes protein rich growth, enables it to support a wide range of wildlife including deer, turkeys, and rabbits. These characteristics make "Trifolium pratense" useful for hunters interested in attracting game. The pink flowers afford high visibility levels and facilitate such attraction and may be used by wildlife remediation teams and conservationists seeking to build wildlife bridges to connect fragmented habitats.