An unusual clover at Torbreck
In mid-August 2024 a striking clover appeared on Gwen’s ground at Torbreck (NC0824). It was tall, with the large, ovoid head of flowers typical of red clover Trifolium pratense, but the flowers were white, rather than the usual pinky-purple (photo 1). White clover T. repens has smaller, more rounded heads; it also flowers earlier up here.
There were pointed leaves subtending the flowering head, with arrow-shaped lighter patches, both characters of red clover, rather than white; probably, therefore, an albino red clover.
She showed it to Ian, who thought that it might be interesting to take a closer look at the differences between the two species, since neither of them had ever before come across this colour variety.
He photographed a couple of typical specimens (photo 2) and a set of individual flowers from all three clovers (photo 3), and then consulted the New Flora of the British Isles (Stace, 4th edition, 2019). Key characters are the number of veins in the calyx and whether its mouth is closed by a thickening or ring of hairs or open and hairless. Neither is very easy to see, even with the help of a lens, though to be fair the Flora does have to distinguish some 29 clovers native or introduced to the British Isles.
However, the individual flowers are really distinct, those of white being shorter with hairless calyces, those of red longer with hairy calyces. Looking at whole plants re-inforces these differences, since white clover has creeping stems and axillary heads, and red upright stems and terminal heads. First impressions were confirmed.
Gwen Richards and Ian M. Evans