ZIG-ZAG CLOVER

Trifolium medium

Pea Family [Fabaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept month8oct month8nov

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8red
flower
flower8mauve
morph
morph8zygo
petals
petalsZ5
type
typeZclustered
stem
stem8round
sex
sexZbisexual

14th June 2020, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate Country Pk, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
Grows in large patches.


3rd July 2015, gravel quarry, Moses Gate, Bolton, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Tall (up to 50cm), but not as tall as Red Clover can grow (60cm). The pale-green chevrons, so common on the upper surface of the leaves on both White Clover and Red Clover, are more often absent on Zig-zag Clover. Here there are some residual pale-green markings, but not in the shape of a chevron.


18th July 2019, extinct railway, Greenfield, Grt M/cr. Photo: © RWD
The flowers Zig-zag Clover are usually a deeper more purplish-red than those of Red Clover. Beware that Zig-zag Clover can occasionally (as on some of these specimens above) have pale-green chevron markings on the upper surface of the leaves just as can Red Clover.


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Flowerheads are both flatter and broader on top than those of Red Clover (except when the go to fruit as six other flowers have done here when the fruits curl contortuously). The leaves can be either pointed (with or without an acuminate tip) or rounded at the end. The brown ones are going to seed.


23rd July 2006, between Leigh and Wigan, Bridgewater Canal. Photo: © RWD
At canals edge there is a very spikey fawn-coloured seed head, centre top.


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Stalks in a sort of zig-zag, hence the name (although this is not a reliable characteristic), especially when, as here, a gale is blowing from the right!


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Flowers more usually on long petioles (stalks) than those of Red Clover.

At ever branch there are a pair of green (not reddish striped as on Red Clover) stipules either side of the branch which taper evenly (best seen on the stipule half-way up near the lateral centre).

One way of telling Zig-zag Clover from Red Clover is to look at that part of the stipules of the stem leaves that is not attached to the stem. If the free portion of that stipule is linear to lanceolate then it is Zig-zag Clover (look at the stipule centre-right). [If, on the other hand, it is short-triangular to ovate and narrows abruptly to a bristle point then it is Red Clover]



23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Flowers usually flatter on top than those of Red Clover, and a darker shade of red too (probably as a result of some of that red dye infusing the older leaves).


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
On this specimen even the sepals and sepal teeth are red.


18th July 2019, extinct railway, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Sometimes the flowers pan outwards perhaps as they get ever closer to the fruiting stage.


18th July 2019, extinct railway, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Just a few flowers near the centre attempting to stand nearly upright. The flowers, at 12-20mm long, can be slightly longer than the 12-18mm of Red Clover, but there is not a lot in it.


22nd June 2009, Silverdale / Arnside area, North Lancs. Photo: © RWD
When they splay out like this the long hairs on the teeth of the sepal cups (aka calyx) can be espied


22nd June 2009, Silverdale / Arnside area, North Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Here the as-yet unopened florets in the centre are whitish and the sepal cups and hairs can be seen better.


22nd June 2009, Silverdale / Arnside area, North Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The long straight hairs ob the calyx.


14th June 2020, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate Country Pk, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
A young specimen! The calyx teeth of Zig-zag Clover are long-hairy whilst the calyx tube is more or less hairless (unlike the hairy calyx on Red Clover). The flowers here have either not opened yet or the calyx itself has not yet opened. When the flowers fully open the hairy calyx teeth will be mostly hidden by the long inflorescence.


14th June 2020, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate Country Pk, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
The calyx is usually green as here, but there are some Zig-zag Clovers depicted above with red calyxes.


23rd July 2006, between Leigh and Wigan, Bridgewater Canal. Photo: © RWD
The broad-oval leaves may have an acuminate tip and are sometimes red-edged.

The leaves are hairless on the upper surface only.

[Those of Red Clover are often hairy above as well as on the undersurface]



23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Flower turning to fruit.


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Possibly because Zig-zag Clover has darker-red flowers, some of that redness seems to also colour the edges of the leaves colouring them a reddish-brown (the subtractive colour resulting from red mixing with chlorophyll green).


30th Aug 2014, National Wildflower Centre, Prescot, Liverpool. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are a darker shade of green than those of Red Clover - but there are also new leaves which are mid-green.


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Leaf underside. The leaves also differ from those of Red Clover by way of having a greater length to width ratio (by maybe twice or more?).


23rd July 2015, Birkdale Dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The same leaves as above, upperside, by transmitted light to show the translucent veins. One way to tell Zig-zag clover from Red Clover is to look at the way the leaf veins meet the edge of the leaf half-way along the leaf: if those veins meet the edge at about 90° then that is an indication that it is Zig-zag Clover.


30th Aug 2014, National Wildflower Centre, Liverpool Loop Lines. Photo: © RWD
The stipules (three sets are shown here, at branches in the stem) are long and taper evenly and usually entirely green or with green veins (only sometimes red0veined).

[Whereas those of Red Clover are shorter and triangular and always red-veined and narrow abruptly to a brown and bristly point]


Easily mis-identified as : Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - see captions for differences.

It is a perennial with rhizomatous roots growing up to 59 cm on grassland especially on clay soils, also hedgerows and the borders of woods.


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



  Trifolium medium  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Fabaceae  

Distribution
 family8Pea family8Fabaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Trifolium
Trifolium
(Clovers)

ZIG-ZAG CLOVER

Trifolium medium

Pea Family [Fabaceae]