ALSIKE CLOVER

Trifolium hybridum

Pea Family [Fabaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8white
flower
flower8pink
flower
flower8purple
morph
morph8zygo
petals
petalsZ5
type
typeZclustered
type
typeZglobed
stem
stem8round

5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Amidst Tufted Vetch, Black Medick and other grassland plants. Similar to White Clover but with taller stems, up to 40cm high.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
A cluster of bicoloured pink/white from above. With the similar White Clover very close-by (top right).


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Stems often hollow and more upright than White Clover and not creeping-rooting as is White Clover.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
The plant is nearly hairless. The flowers always arise from leaf axils and are never just atop flower stems which do not arise at leaf axils. Oval and long-pointed stipules arise at stem junctions.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Trefoil leaves with leaflets narrower than those of White Clover and without grey-green chevron markings. Leaflets with a tooth at the termination of every vein.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Normally has white flowers, but may also be pink, or even purple. Florets clustered into a globe at first, but often become flattened on top with radiating flowers.


13th Sept 2018, arable field, Upholland, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The flowers on top are at first directed upwards with their banner appearing as a rowing-boat shape with the wings within closed and hiding the keels.


13th Sept 2018, arable field, Upholland, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Birds-eye view of rowing-boat like wings, which have radiating darker-pink veins.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Some flower-heads are pink and white.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Bird's eye view. Sepals hairless un-like those of Red Clover.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
A little like Crown Vetch from above.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The banner (largest petal) is above. Sepal teeth green, long-triangular.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
From below showing sepals and long sepal teeth.


13th Sept 2018, arable field, Upholland, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The calyx tubes are white with long green teeth.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Sepal teeth about twice as long as the sepal tube (on White Clover they are about half the length of the sepal tube).


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Almost globular flower-head


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
From below, like a starship with bomb-doors open (wings wide open showing the bomb-like keel ready for dropping). Ten stamens lie hidden within the keel.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Turning brown and Going to seed.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
A developing flower-head to the right.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Teeth, forwardly and finely-pointed, somewhat unevenly distributed. Stipules at every stem junction.


2nd July 2015, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Leaves of Alsike Clover are a here a brighter green than those of the darker-green White Clover nearby with greyish-green chevron markings.


5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Country Pk, Waterloo, Merseyside. Photo: © RWD
Stem often hollow.


Many similarities to : White Clover (Trifolium repens) - see captions for differences.

Despite the binomial name Trifolium hybridus Alsike Clover is not a hybrid with anything, but a separate species; botanically it is simply that the naming author thinks that the species is morphologically intermediate between two other plants already described. It was originally thought to be a hybrid between Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and White Clover (Trifolium repens) [with which it is more alike], but it is not. If it really was a hybrid, then the botanical name would include a '×' between the genus name and the specific epithet. The fact that this '×' is omitted indicates that it only looked like a hybrid.

It is native to Europe and mountainous regions of SW Asia. In the UK it is classed as a neophyte having been introduced, and escapes from gardens. Usually white, but pink and bi-coloured specimens are fairy common. Purple specimens are rarer, although as it ages the colours do deepen before going brown.

A sub-species Trifolium hybridum ssp. hybridum is cultivated and widely grown as a forage crop for stock, which has become naturalised.

It is found in waste places, grassland, meadows, banks and roadsides.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Clouded Yellow
Pale Clouded Yellow
Mazarine Blue
Short-tailed Blue



  Trifolium hybridum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Fabaceae  

Distribution
 family8Pea family8Fabaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Trifolium
Trifolium
(Clovers)

ALSIKE CLOVER

Trifolium hybridum

Pea Family [Fabaceae]