Trifolium aureum

Pollich

Large hop clover, Yellow clover

Fabaceae Edible: Seeds, Leaves, Flowers 10,749 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Trifolium aureum, known by the various common names large hop trefoil, large trefoil, large hop clover, golden clover or hop clover, is a species of flowering plant native to much of Eurasia. Large hop trefoil is a small erect herbaceous biennial plant growing to 10–30 cm (4–12 in) tall. Like all clovers, it has leaves divided into three sessile leaflets, each leaflet 15–25 mm (0.6–1.0 in) long and 6–9 mm broad. Its yellow flowers are arranged into small, elongated round inflorescences 12–20 mm diameter, located at the end of the stem. Each individual flower is decumbent. As they age, the flowers become brown and paper-like. The fruit is a pod usually containing two seeds. The closely related Trifolium campestre (hop trefoil) is a similar, but shorter, spreading, species with smaller leaves and flowers. The middle leaflet of its leaves also has a short rachis.

Description

A herb. It grows each year from seed. It grows 20-50 cm tall. The leaves have 3 leaflets spread like fingers on a hand. The leaflets are 10-23 mm long by 5-8 mm wide. There are teeth along the edge. There are 25-40 flowers in a group.

Edible Uses

The seeds are eaten raw in salads or ground into flour. Young leaves are eaten cooked. Flowers are brewed as tea.

Traditional Uses

The seeds are eaten in salads. They are also ground as flour. The young leaves are eaten cooked. Flowers are used for tea.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows between 500-1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Asia, Caucasus, Chile, China, Europe, Falklands, Luxembourg, North America, Siberia, USA,

Notes

There are about 240 Trifolium species. They are mostly temperate.

Synonyms

Trifolium agragium L.Trifolium strepens Crantz

Also Known As

Large trefoil, Trevo

References (6)

Hist. pl. Palat. 2:344. 1777
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 874
Upson, R., & Lewis R., 2014, Updated Vascular Plant Checklist and Atlas for the Falkland Islands. Falklands Conservation and Kew.
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)
Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 694

Show all 6 references