''Trifolium incarnatum'', known as crimson clover or Italian clover, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family Fabaceae, native to most of

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 entirel ...

. It has been introduced to other areas, including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and Japan. This upright

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

herb grows to 20–50 cm (8-20") tall, unbranched or branched only at the base. The leaves are trifoliate with a long petiole, each leaflet hairy, 8–16 mm across, with a truncated or bilobed apex. The

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 mechani ...

s are produced throughout the spring and summer, rich red or crimson, congested on an elongated spike

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

3–5 cm tall and 1.5 cm broad; the individual

s are up to 10–13 mm long and have five petals. The banner of each flower does not sit upright, but folds forward.

Uses

Crimson clover is commonly used in agriculture as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop. The plant uses associations with Rhizobia bacteria to fix nitrogen. The plant is widely grown as a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

-rich

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used ...

crop for

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

and other

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 animal ...

, and is suitable to be made into hay. It is commonly grazed by domestic and wild ruminants. It is often used for roadside

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

control, as well as beautification, however it tends to eliminate all other desirable spring and early-summer species of native vegetation in the area where it is planted. Crimson clover's flowers and the sprouts, which are visually and gustatorily similar to alfalfa sprouts are edible. They can be added as an ingredient in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes, made into tisanes, and can be dried and ground into flour. 100 grams of crimson clover sprouts contains 23 calories, 4g of

, 2g of

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorpora ...

, and provides 38 percent of the RDI of

vitamin K Vitamin K refers to structurally similar, fat-soluble vitamers found in foods and marketed as dietary supplements. The human body requires vitamin K for post-synthesis modification of certain proteins that are required for blood coagulation ...

, as well as 14 percent of the RDI of

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

. It has extremely small amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Like all raw eaten sprouts, they possess the risk of

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Esc ...

, Salmonella,

Listeria ''Listeria'' is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. Until 1992, 17 species were known, each containing two subspecies. By 2020, 21 species had been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pio ...

, and

Bacillus cereus ''Bacillus cereus'' is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in soil, food, and marine sponges. The specific name, ''cereus'', meaning "waxy" in Latin, refers to the appearance of colonies grown on blood agar. Some strains are har ...

contamination. However, many reputable facilities in the United States attempt to regulate and test these crops for such bacteria.

Life cycle

In mild winter areas, such as coastal California and the Pacific Northwest, crimson clover typically behaves as a winter annual. The seeds germinate in the first rains of late summer or autumn. The plants grow through the winter, and have a major flush of bloom in late spring. In dry summer climates, the plants die after maturing seeds. In sites having sufficient summer moisture, plants can continue growth and flowering; and may even behave as short lived perennials.

Cultivation

It is sown as quickly as possible after the removal of a grain crop at the rate of 20–22 kg/ha. It is found to succeed better when only the surface of the soil is stirred by the scarifier and harrow than when a plowing is given. It grows rapidly in spring, and yields an abundant crop of greenery. Only one cutting, however, can be obtained, as it does not shoot again after being mown. File:Clover-sprouts-sold-as-vegetables-in-produce-section-of-grocery-store.jpg, Sprouts of crimson clover being sold in the produce section of a grocery store File:Photograph of J.C. Butler standing in crimson clover field on the farm of J.C. Thomas, Evans, Georgia, 1952 April - DPLA - 08f49dc7237144a04e73f5c182b03bd8.jpg, Conservationist in a field of crimson clover,1952 File:Crimson clover sprouts.jpg, Farming of germinated plants File:Clover Farm St Paul OR USA IMG 20220524.jpg, Clover farm in St. Paul, Oregon, USA, May 24, 2022

References and external links

Flora Europaea: ''Trifolium incarnatum''Ecoflora: ''Trifolium incarnatum''FAO factsheet: ''Trifolium incarnatum''
* Ajilvsgi, Geyata. (2003). ''Wildflowers of Texas.'' Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, Texas (USA). .
Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin
Page with several photos.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q161361 Forages incarnatum Plants described in 1753 Nitrogen-fixing crops Vegetables Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus