Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus Trifolium, consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with highest diversity in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics. They are small annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants, typically growing up to 30 cm tall. The clover is the color of evergreen. The leaves are trifoliate, cinquefoil, or septfoil, with stipules adnate to the leaf-stalk, and heads or dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers; the small, few-seeded pods are enclosed in the calyx. Other closely related genera often called clovers include Melilotus and Medicago.
A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name shamrock comes from Irish seamróg[ˈʃamˠɾˠoːɡ], which is the diminutive of the Irish word seamair óg and simply means "young clover".
Trifolium repens, the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and central Asia and is one of the most widely cultivated types of clover. It has been widely introduced worldwide as a forage crop, and is now also common in most grassy areas of North America and New Zealand. The species includes varieties often classed as small, intermediate and large, according to height, which reflects petiole length. The term 'white clover' is applied to the species in general, 'Dutch clover' is often applied to intermediate varieties, and 'ladino clover' is applied to large varieties.
Trifolium pratense, the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalised in many other regions.
Trifolium aureum, known by the various common names large hop trefoil, large trefoil, large hop clover, golden clover or Hop clover, is a species of clover native to much of Eurasia.
Trifolium arvense, commonly known as hare's-foot clover, rabbitfoot clover, stone clover or oldfield clover, is a flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae. This species of clover is native to most of Europe, excluding the Arctic zone, and western Asia, in plain or mid-mountain habitats up to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) altitude. It grows in dry sandy soils, both acidic and alkaline, soil with dry-mesic conditions and is typically found at the edge of fields, in wastelands, at the side of roads, on sand dunes, and opportunistically in vineyards and orchards when they are not irrigated.
Trifolium campestre, commonly known as hop trefoil, field clover and low hop clover, is a species of clover native to Europe and western Asia, growing in dry, sandy grassland habitats, fields, woodland margins, roadsides, wastelands and cultivated land. The species name campestre means "of the fields".
Trifolium wormskioldii is a species of clover. Its common names include cows clover, coast clover, sand clover, seaside clover, springbank clover, and Wormskjold's clover.
Schinia jaguarina, the jaguar flower moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. It is found on North America's Great Plains from Saskatchewan and Alberta south to Texas, eastward on coast to Florida and westward in south to Arizona. In Mexico it is found down to Mexico City.
Thorybes mexicana, the Mexican cloudywing, mountain cloudy wing or Nevada cloudy wing, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the high elevation mountains of the western United States south into Mexico.
Grapholita compositella, the clover seed moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found from Europe to Asia Minor, Mongolia, China and eastern Russia. It is also present in North America.
Phyllonorycter trifoliella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Krasnodar Region of Russia.
Phyllonorycter insignitella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
Phyllonorycter medicaginella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found from Denmark and Poland to Belgium, the Alps, Bulgaria and Ukraine.
Phyllonorycter nigrescentella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe except the Balkan Peninsula.
Parectopa ononidis is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe, except Ireland and the Balkan Peninsula.
Trifolium depauperatum is a species of clover known by the common names cowbag clover, poverty clover, and balloon sack clover.
Porphyrosela desmodiella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Brazil, Cuba, the Virgin Islands, Canada (Ontario) and the United States.
Micrurapteryx fumosella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Kyrgyzstan.
Trifolium occidentale, the western clover, is a clover plant belonging to the genus Trifolium in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its flowers are white, similar to white clover, with which it has long been confused. This species lives almost exclusively in sand dunes and sea cliffs on the Atlantic coast of Europe, especially Cornwall and the Channel Islands. The species was first described in 1961 by Dr David E Coombe of Cambridge University.
