Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum) Gardening
Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum) is a species of clover in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. It is also known as strawberry-headed clover, trefle fraise, trefle porte-fraise, Erdbeer klee, trifoglio fragifero, trevo morango, and trebol fresero. It is cultivated as a cover crop and pasture forage, for hays and silage, green manure, and as a bee plant (a source of honey). Strawberry clover is one of the most waterlogging tolerant legumes, and grows readily in waterlogged, poorly drained, saline and alkaline soils, pH from 4.8-8.0.
Strawberry clover, 15-40 cm tall, is a low-creeping perennial legume with creeping stolons that rooting at the nodes, forming mats or clumps. Stems are hairy, up to 50 cm long, and the leaves are alternated along the stem. The first leaf are simple oval leaf, usually has a rounded tip, and can be nearly hairless to hairy. Subsequent leaves are divided into three oval leaflets with serrated margins, hairless or have few hairs, 2-2.5 cm long, and rounded tips. Strawberry clover blooms from May through November, and bears pale-pink flower heads. The fruiting heads are round and sparsely hairy, tan to reddish-brown and look like hairy, unripe raspberries or strawberries because of the clustered individual tiny fruits that form the head. Each fruit head (or pod) contain two brown seeds. The tiny seeds are broadly oval to heart-shaped, have a notch at one end, and slightly compressed.
Strawberry clover will grow in waterlogged, saline to alkaline soils. It can withstand heavy continuous grazing once the plants have developed strong runners and the sward is properly established. Propagation is by seeds.
Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum)
Author: Christian Fischer (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
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