Haresfoot Clover

Trifolium arvense

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea)

Also in this family:

Alsike Clover, Birdsfoot, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Bitter Vetchling, Black Medick, Bladder Senna, Broad Bean, Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea, Bush Vetch, Common Broom, Common Gorse, Common Laburnum, Common Restharrow, Common Vetch, Crown Vetch, Dyer's Greenweed, False Acacia, Garden Pea, Goat's Rue, Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil, Hairy Tare, Hop Trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch, Kidney Vetch, Lesser Trefoil, Lucerne, Meadow Vetchling, Narrow-leaved Vetch, Red Clover, Ribbed Melilot, Russell Lupin, Scottish Laburnum, Smooth Tare, Spanish Gorse, Strawberry Clover, Tall Melilot, Tree Lupin, Tufted Vetch, Western Gorse, White Clover, White Lupin, White Melilot, Zigzag Clover

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Annual

Maximum Size:

25 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Grassland.

Flower:

White, 5 petals

2-3cm rosy-white spike covered in silky hairs, looks like a hare's paw (hence its common name).

Fruit:

Pods which are usually obscured by the hair that covers the flowers.

Leaves:

Leaves are trifoliate meaning they are divided into 3 leaflets. The stalkless and slender leaflets are finely toothed.

Other Names:

Calf Clover, Hairy Clover, Oldfield Clover, Pussy Clover, Rabbitfoot Clover, Stone Clover.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map