''Trifolium campestre'', commonly known as hop trefoil, field clover and low hop clover, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and western

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

, growing in dry, sandy

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

habitats, fields, woodland margins, roadsides, wastelands and cultivated land. The species name ''campestre'' means "of the fields".

Description

It is a herbaceous annual plant, growing to 10–30 cm tall, with distinctive yellow flowerheads that superficially resemble hop flowers. Each flowerhead is a cylindrical or spherical collection of 20–40 individual

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s. The flowers become brown upon aging and drying, enclosing the fruit, a one-seeded pod. The leaves are alternate and trifoliate, with three oblong or elliptical leaflets 4–10 mm long. This species is very closely related to large hop trefoil ('' Trifolium aureum'').

Cultivation and uses

Trifolium campestre - Flickr - Kevin Thiele

Hop trefoil is an important clover in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

because its foliage is good for feeding

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...

and replenishing

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

. It is not generally planted, but is considered a valuable

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

when found growing in a pasture. It has become

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in North America, particularly in the west and south of the continent.

Similar plants

Hop trefoil, ''Trifolium campestre'', may be confused with other plants that have three leaflets and small yellow flowers, such as large hop trefoil (''T. aureum''), lesser hop trefoil (''T. dubium''),

black medick ''Medicago lupulina'', commonly known as black medick, nonesuch, or hop clover, is a plant of dry grassland belonging to the legume or clover family. Plants of the genus ''Medicago'', or bur clovers, are closely related to the true clovers (''Tri ...

(''Medicago lupulina''), and yellow woodsorrel (''Oxalis stricta'').

References

* Ajilvsgi, Geyata. (2003). ''Wildflowers of Texas.'' Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, Texas. .

External links

Washington Burke MuseumJepson Manual TreatmentDiscover Life: ''Trifolium campestre''

Flora of Europe Flora of Lebanon campestre Flora of Lebanon and Syria Flora of Maghreb {{Trifolieae-stub