Fabaceae
Trifolium incarnatum
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Herb |
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Crimson Clover on:
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| Other Names for this Plant |
Italian clover, French clover, Scarlet clover
Native to southern Europe.Local in distribution, but found throughout most of North America except for the Rocky Mountain region.
This upright annual herb grows to 20-50 cm 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 flowers are produced throughout the spring and summer, rich red or crimson, congested on an elongated spike inflorescence 3-5 cm tall and 1.5 cm broad; the individual flowers are up to 10-13 mm long and have five petals. The banner of each flower does not sit upright, but folds forward. |
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What's This?
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Bean Family |
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Order of Beans |
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Main, Real, Two First-Leaves (Dicots) |
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Real, Two First-Leaves (Dicots) |
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Half Capsule Seed Division |
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Magnolia Division |
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Seed Plants |
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Multiple Spore Sub-Kingdom |
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Multicellular Land Plants |
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Cells with a Nucleus |
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First brought to the United States from Italy in 1819 It has been introduced into the United States, originally as forage for cattle. It is often used for roadside erosion control, as well as beautification, even though it tends to eliminate all other desirable spring and early-summer species of native vegetation in the area, which it is planted.
Food Uses: The seeds can be sprouted and eaten in salads. They can also be dried and ground into a nutritious flour. Dried flower heads are a tea substitute
Other Notes: Used as a green manure. It is relatively fast growing, makes an excellent weed suppressing cover and fixes nitrogen. It is also used with grass seed mixes in soil reclamation projects
Crimson clover may be used as a cover crop, green manure, pasture, or hay. It often is used as a winter annual cover crop in annual rotations. It has been used successfully in reduced-tillage farming systems, and in orchards and vineyards where it can be managed to reseed itself.
It may be relay-interplanted into vegetable crops by broadcasting immediately before the final cultivation. However, Willamette Valley trials where crimson clover was relay interplanted into sweet corn have produced mixed results. Intensive shade, seedling water stress, and heavy harvest residue often result in very thin stands. Surviving clover may flower in fall, reducing its winter-hardiness.
Cultivation: Well-cultivated, uniform, and firm seedbed required for best results. Direct drilling (sod seeding) most successful on swards with low-density vegetation and when there is adequate soil moisture.
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring to early summer in situ. The seed can also be sown in early autumn as a winter green manure.
Crimson Clover
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Crimson Clover
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Crimson Clover
Curtis’s Botanical Magazine
London, 1787-1800
engraving by Lansdown Guilding
[Image in the public Domain]
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| Comment:
Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum |
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