Trifólium

(Fabáceae)

This large family includes more than 150 genera with approximately 13,000 species all over world. It is subdivided according to the leaves' features into 3 subfamilies:
- Mimosoideae - Cesalpinioidae - Faboideae

These are herbaceous or lignified (many annually) plants mostly having compound leaves, alternate leaves with stipules. The hermaphroiditic (male and female organs), zygomorphous (only one axis of symmetry, but different dorsal sides and bellies) blooms have 5 petals and can often be seen as racemes or umbles. The blooms which look like butterflies comprise of an extraordinary large upper petal called vexillium. The 2 side wings and 2 lower petals, partly grown together, make up a very large leaf. It has 10 stamens which are often grown into each other and one superior ovary is a fruit, a pod, a dehiscent fruit.

After the orchids and the compositae family, the pulses are the third largest group of the higher plant. In the pulse family, caesalpinioid and mimosoid species represent the old, tropic group. Faboid legumes are a derived species. 6 genera belong to the tribus trifolieae. Among them, the clover belongs to the largest genera of the tribus with around 250 species. An enormous variety of species is in the Mediterranean region, the Near East and California. Other centres of growing are the part of Europe with a moderate climate, Ethiopia, East Africa and Chile. The various species of clover are spread over the Central European flora and as cultivated plant. Trifolia are the oldest fodder crops cultivated. In Europe trifolium pratens is the most important of the fodder crops growing on fields. It has been cultivated since the early Middle Ages, although it was not before the 18th century that people grew it on a large scale due to the introduction of the three-yearly crop rotation system. Other green fodder and rang plants of this genus are white clover (trifolium repens) and alsike clover (trifolium hybridum).

A clover with four leaves appears rarely and is said to be a popular token of luck. This belief is very old and people both in Europe and the USA live in it. Its career as the lucky charm no.1 is thanks to a quite natural quality. Clovers with four leaves can only be found very rarely. People think, if four-leafed clover is put under one's pillow, one gets incredibly beautiful dreams (lucky charming plants' ABC CyberGarden).
However, the Irish have the white clover's three-toothed leaf, which is called shamrock, as they national symbol.
Shamrock is the Irish term for clover, originating from the former seamroy. As early as the times of the druids, clover was holy, as it drove away snakes and scorpions. Saint Patrick, who had christianized the Irish before he died in 493 AD, often picked a three-leafed clover in order to explain the Holy Trinity using it, while four-leafed clovers symbolize the cross. Every year, the Irish and their friends celebrate extensively on Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th March.