*Trifolium repens

Family Fabaceae

White Clover

Prostrate herb, with branches to 30 cm long, leaves 3-foliate, with stout taproot. Longevity 2 - 5 years.

Flowers: White to pink, August - November. Pollinated by honey bees.

Fruit: Linear pod 4 - 6 mm long, with 3 - 4 seeds.

Seed: No specialised dispersal mechanism. Germinates in autumn.

Gallery images: seed, seedling, rootstock, resprout

Ecology

• Native of Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, introduced as pasture species.
• Weed of grasslands, roadsides and lawns.
• Occasional in grasslands and roadsides at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• Palatable to rabbits.
• Legumes reported to have nitrogen fixing Rhizobium nodules on roots.

Asterisk * indicates exotic species naturalised at the Australian Botanic Garden.