365 Urban Species. #149: White Clover

[urbpan]

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Puddingstone Park, Mission Hill, Boston.

Urban species # 149: White clover Trifolium repens.

Clover is so innocuous that most people wouldn't even consider it a weed. White and red clover were both brought to North America from Eurasia, to serve as cover crops and to provide food for honey bees. White clover is more effective as it is self-spreading, and grows low enough for the blades of the mower to pass by. Like all members of the legume family, clovers have a symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that improve soil quality--for the clover, and for any other plant that grows in that soil. Each round clover blossom is actually a collection of many tiny flowers, that when examined closely are very similar to pea flowers, and other flowers of plants in the same family.


Close-up by urbpan Location: Between Riverway overpass and Brookline Animal Hospital on Rt. 9, Brookline/Boston line.