red clover

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a European clover known for its globose heads of reddish-purple flowers. It is widely cultivated as a hay, forage, and cover crop and has become naturalized in the U.S..1

Clover, in general, belongs to the genus Trifolium and includes about 300 annual and perennial species in the pea family. These plants are valuable as livestock feed, cover crops, and green manure. Their flowers attract bees, making clover honey a common product. Clovers typically have three-leaflet leaves and produce small, fragrant flowers in dense heads that can be white, pink, red, or yellow. They are also beneficial for soil, adding nitrogen and improving nutrient availability for subsequent crops. Red clover is a biennial or short-lived perennial with an oval, purplish flower head.2