Trifolium dubium
| Trifolium dubium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Fall |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Trifolium dubium (common name: suckling clover)
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring to early summer in situ.
Cultivation: Succeeds in a moist, well-drained circum-neutral soil in full sun[1]. Succeeds in poor soils[1]. Grows well in a wild flower lawn[1].
It grows well in an apple orchard, the trees will produce tastier fruit that stores better[2]. It should not be grown with camellias or gooseberries because it harbours a mite that can cause fruit drop in the gooseberries and premature budding in the camellias[2].
The nectar-rich flowers are a good food source for bees and butterflies[1].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[1]. Buttercups growing nearby depress the growth of the nitrogen bacteria by means of a root exudate[2]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to Spain and the Caucasus.
Habitat: Grassy places throughout Britain[3].
Medicinal: The plant is haemostatic[4]. A poultice of the chopped plant has been applied to cuts to stop the bleeding[4].
Usage: The plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is used in seed mixes with grasses for land reclamation sowings[1].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: T. minus. Sm.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.