Clover Red

Botanical Name: Trifolium pratense

Family: Papilionaceae/ Fabaceae

Other Names: Cleaver grass, cow grass, marl grass, meadow honeysuckle, meadow trefoil, purple clover, three-leaf grass, trefoil, trifoil, and wild clover

Habitat: Roadsides, waste ground, meadows

Description: Perennial hairy height and spread 20-60cm Leafy branching stems Flowers tubular pink/purple in round heads late spring, 2-3cm long. 2cm wide. Calyx has 5 unequal teeth, Leaves: ternate, petioles 5-25cm long Leaflets: trefoil. 1-5cm long obovate or elliptic

Native to: Britain, Europe, and Asia

Parts Used: Flower heads, leaves

Cultivation: Full sun well drained soil

Harvesting: May-September

Actions: Alterative, antispasmodic, expectorant, sedative

Constituents: Phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, coumarins, cyanogenic glycosides

Isoflavones: afrormosin, biochanin A, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, pratensein, calyconin, pseudobaptigenin, orobol, irilone, trifoside and their glycoside conjugates

Flavonoids: pectolinarin, trifoliin

Coumarins: coumestrol, medicagol, coumarin

Volatile oil: furfural

Clovamides, L-dopa-caffeic acid conjugates, minerals, vitamins, phytoalexins

Combines with: Yellow dock, nettles

Respiratory: Mouth ulcers, whooping cough, and bronchitis

Other Notes: State flower of Vermont

The ancient Greeks, Romans and Celts of pre-Christian Ireland all considered it sacred

In playing cards the suit of clubs is said to be based on red clover

It is said to offer protection against witchcraft and evil spirits