Hop trefoil, Hop clover
Trifolium campestre

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A low annual herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It is usually much branched. The leaflets are oblong. The flowers are 3.5-5 mm long. They are yellow. They are in round heads.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in rocky places. It grows in warm temperate places. Tasmania Herbarium. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Caucasus, Central Asia, Chile, China, Colombia, Crete, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, East Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Himalayas, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norfolk Is., North Africa, North America, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Siberia, Sicily, Sinai, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

It was used to flavour beer in place of hops. The flowers are eaten raw. The seeds can be eaten or roasted. Leaves can be used in salads.

Edible parts

Leaves, flowers, seeds,flavouring

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Low hop clover, Poljska detelja, Uzum

Synonyms

Amarenus campestris (Schreb.) Fourr.; Chrysaspis campestris (Schreb.) Desv.; and others