Clover Types

Clovers grow easily with grasses, often making them a lawn nuisance. However, some clover types are also considered beneficial plants and used as ground cover.

Here are a few examples.

In the beneficial category, Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum), pictured above, along with white clover, represent the beneficial plant category of clovers.

Both are the preeminent cover crops for the country's agricultural lands.

There it functions to help prevent soil erosion, keep down harmful weeds, attract pollinators and add nitrogen to the soil.

Those facts, along with the attractive, dark red flower should be sufficient reasons to keep it off of any weed list.

Found anywhere other than at the location of its intended plantings, crimson clover, along with white clover, may be considered unwanted plants. It's an annual that does not necessarily reseed easily, so plant removal prior to its going to seed serves as a good organic remedy.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), a very common plant of fields and meadows across the United States, can easily identified by the pink flowers and three pointed leaves.

Adding an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen is the suggested organic remedy for lawns with clover problems.

Red clover also as a history as an herbal medicine, used to treat a variety of ills from cancer to respiratory problems. The National Institutes of Health says, "There is not enough scientific evidence to determine whether red clover is effective for any other health conditions (meaning a couple of small studies on its use for menopause)."

Big-head Clover (Trifolium macrocephalum) grow in open areas of the Pacific Northwest, east of the Cascades.

The flower head can measure about two inches in diameter, making it difficult to misidentify.

Clover is known for its edibility and farmers and ranchers often graze their herds in clover fields. The Big-head clover is likewise edible and was consumed both raw and cooked by Native Americans.

© 2008-2011 Patricia A. Michaels