white clover

White clover – Trifolium repens

Trifolium repens L.

Fabaceae (Legume family)

MI Status

Non-native

Life cycle

Mat-forming perennial.

Leaves

Alternate, compound with three stalkless, egg-shaped leaflets. Leaflets are smooth with small teeth along the margins, a slight notch at the tip and usually a whitish V-shaped watermark. Trifoliolate leaves are found on long petioles that arise perpendicular to the prostrate stems.

Stems

Plants spread by prostrate, creeping stolons that root at the nodes and are generally smooth.

Flowers and fruit

White or pinkish white, globe-shaped flower heads occur at the ends of long flower stalks. Each head may contain up to 85 individual flowers. Fruit are small,
three- to six-seeded pods.

Reproduction

Seeds and stolons.

Similar weeds

Red clover (T. pratense L.)
Differs by having a more robust size and upright growth, red to purple flower heads, and larger, usually hairy trifoliolate leaves.

White clover plant
White clover plant
White clover flower
White clover flower
White clover leaf
White clover leaf
White clover stem
White clover stem

Accessibility Questions:

For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.