Lesser Trefoil

Trifolium dubium

Plant Data

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea)

Flowering Months:

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

Flowers:

Dull yellow compact flowerhead on a short stalk, up to 20 flowers per head. Similar looking flower as Black Medick.

Fruit:

An egg-shaped, hard seed pod containing a single brown seed, up to 2mm long. Drooping when ripe.

Leaves:

Trifoliate leaves, clover-like in appearance. Similar looking to Black Medick except the tips of the leaflets are a slightly different shape. With Lesser Trefoil the tips of the leaflets are notched ever so slightly, whereas Black Medick leaflets have a slight protrusion. However, the difference is not always that obvious so careful observation is usually necessary in order to ensure identification is correct.

Maximum Size:

25cm tall.

Other Names:

Cowhop Clover, Hop Clover, Irish Shamrock, Least Hop Clover, Lesser Hop Trefoil, Lesser Yellow Trefoil, Little Hop Clover, Low Hop Clover, Shamrock, Shamrock Clover, Small Hop Clover, Suckling Clover, Yellow Clover, Yellow Shamrock, Yellow Shamrock Clover, Yellow Suckling Clover, Yellow Trefoil.

Habitats:

Farmland, grassland, lawns, meadows, roadsides, wasteland.