Alsike clover
Trifolium hybridum
Despite its scientific name 'hybridum', it is not a hybrid; Carl Linnaeus mistakenly believed it was a cross between white and red clover.
- Scientific name
- Trifolium hybridum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Trifolium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Moist meadows, pastures, roadsides, and disturbed fertile soils.
- Diet
- Autotrophic; performs photosynthesis and fixes nitrogen via root nodules.
- Range
- Europe, North America, Western Asia, North Africa
- Size
- 30 to 60 centimeters in height
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Over-grazing in specific agricultural contexts and heavy herbicide application in monoculture farming.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans and safe to touch. However, this plant is toxic to horses and other livestock, potentially causing skin photosensitization and liver damage if consumed. No medical action is needed for human contact.
Trifolium hybridum , the alsike clover , is a plant species of the genus Trifolium in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is up to 40 centimetres (1.3 ft) tall,:152 and is found in fields and on roadsides – it is also grown as fodder (hay or silage). The plant blooms from spring to autumn (April to October in the...
Photo: Tom Norton, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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