Alsike Clover
Trifolium hybridum

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae

What it is like

Trifolium hybridum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from June to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.6

Where it is found

Roadsides in Britain.

Europe. Naturalized in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Leaves and flower heads - raw or cooked. Boiled, or after soaking for several hours in salty water. A delightful and healthful tea is made from the dried flower heads. They are usually mixed with other teas. The dried flower heads and seeds can be ground into a nutritious flour.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A cold infusion of the plant has been used as a wash on the breasts of a nursing mother in order to increase the milk flow.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Other

Rating: 2

Dynamic accumulator.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Agroforestry Services: Understory legume: Legume vegetation, especially the trees and shrubs growing between the forest canopy and the forest floor.

Fodder: Pasture: Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Agroforestry Services: Understory legume: Legume vegetation, especially the trees and shrubs growing between the forest canopy and the forest floor.

Fodder: Pasture: Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

Succeeds in a moist, well-drained circum-neutral soil in full sun. Succeeds in poor soils. Closely related to T. repens. It grows well in an apple orchard, the trees will produce tastier fruit that stores better. It should not be grown with camellias or gooseberries because it harbours a mite that can cause fruit drop in the gooseberries and premature budding in the camellias. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. Buttercups growing nearby depress the growth of the nitrogen bacteria by means of a root exudate.

Propagating it: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ. If the seed is in short supply it might be better to sow it in pots in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 0-0

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Trifolium elegans. Trifolium hybridum elegans