Zigzag Clover

(Trifolium medium)

 

   

 

 

Color drawing: C. A. M. Lindman (1901-1905), Bilder ur Nordens Flora.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Zigzag Clover (Trifolium medium L.)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers pink to red, arranged in a round, cloverlike cluster. Flower stem short, but present. Stem commonly bent at leaf axils, zig-zag in appearance. Leafs with 3 leaflets, each leaflet narrow and pointed at the apex. Plant 6 to 14 inches in height.

Distribution: Southeastern Canada and New England, but local.

Habitat: A weedy species of disturbed habitats such as fields and roadsides.

Flowering period: June to August.

Similar Species: Zigzag Clover has redder flower heads than Red Clover. The stem is commonly zig-zag in appearance, and the leaflets lack the pale chevron markings of Red Clover.

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